Camilla Queen Consort and King Charles III Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Mind the gap! Ahead of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla’s official crowning ceremony, the pair are marking the occasion underground.
“My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful Coronation weekend,” the king, 74, said in a special announcement that will be broadcast across London’s transportation stations all weekend. “And remember, please mind the gap.”
The queen consort, 75, added: “Wherever you are traveling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.”
The official Transport for London Instagram account shared the special audio on Friday, May 5, one day before the coronation takes place.
An empty Tube train at the West Hampstead Underground Station MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The former Prince of Wales ascended the British throne in September 2022, immediately following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96.
“My mother’s reign was unequaled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion,” Charles told the accession council at the time. “Even as we grieve, we give thanks for this most faithful life. I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me.”
He continued: “In taking up these responsibilities I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands, and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories across the world. In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose sovereign I have been called upon to be, and in the discharge of these duties, I will be guided by the council of their elected parliaments.”
Nearly eight months later, Charles will officially be crowned as England’s monarch with Camilla by his side. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday at London’s Westminster Abbey, which was the site of Elizabeth’s own coronation and eventual state funeral.
“There will be an incorporation of the different languages of the United Kingdom for the first time,” royal expert Gareth Russell exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month of Charles’ plans. “It used to be [that] it was only ever in English. There would be bits of it that were in Latin, but we are seeing for the first time a special hymn has been composed that will begin in English [then] have a verse in Welsh, a verse in Irish for Northern Ireland and a verse in Gaelic for Scotland. … I think, in general, the inclusion of so many different voices in the coronation will make it feel more modern.”
Several of the king and queen’s royal relatives are set to attend the service, including Charles’ two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. The 41-year-old Prince of Wales, who will present His Majesty with his coronation robes, will be joined by wife Princess Kate and their three children: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. The Duke of Sussex, 38, will attend solo as his spouse, Meghan Markle, has opted to remain in California with their kids Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 23 months. (The coronation falls on Archie’s fourth birthday.)
