Charles’s coronation will celebrate diversity and reflect his desire to be ‘the people’s King’

The May coronation of King Charles III will champion refugees, diversity and volunteering but will likely not see Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle join the rest of the family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, it was revealed last night. 

The dazzling celebrations are said to reflect Charles’ desire to be the ‘people’s King’ and will also give representatives from the Commonwealth and NHS workers a chance to shine, before members of the public are encouraged to spend time volunteering on the nation’s extra Bank Holiday. 

The three-day extravaganza gives Brits an extra bank holiday and tens of thousands of people are expected to line the streets in central London to watch the ceremony. 

It comes as it was revealed by sources close to the monarchy last night that Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are ‘unlikely’ to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, should they attend the event.

The coronation is scheduled to take place on May 6, followed by a huge concert at Windsor Castle the day after which will focus on showcasing Charles’ vision for the Commonwealth. 

British rock and pop icons will perform alongside a choir of refugees, NHS staff and LGBTQ+ singers in a strikingly diverse event at Windsor Castle the day after the coronation. 

A dazzling display will shine on iconic national landmarks in a ‘centrepiece’ moment of the concert on May 7. The ‘Lighting Up The Nation’ display will feature ‘projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations’ beamed on to buildings across the UK.

It emerged last night that the King’s desire for the Coronation to be ‘inclusive’ will lead to the creation of The Coronation Choir, which will also perform during the concert. 

It is described as ‘a diverse group created from the nation’s keenest community choirs’ and will include refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs. 

It will be joined digitally by a ‘virtual choir’ of singers from around the Commonwealth.

Thousands of tickets for the concert, which will be produced by BBC Studios and broadcast on BBC One, will be available via a public ballot as Buckingham Palace this weekend unveiled the first glimpse of plans for a Coronation weekend that is set to grip the nation.

A host of stars – including ‘some of the world’s biggest entertainers’ – will perform with an orchestra and the massed bands of the Household Division. Top Hollywood and theatre actors will also perform spoken-word recitals.

A Palace source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The Coronation will be rooted in tradition and pageantry with a solemn religious service as its core, while reflecting the modern, diverse Britain of today.

‘The highlights are intended to be as engaging as possible for the widest audience possible . . . With the illuminations spectacle as part of the programme, the hope is that it will help light up Britain after some tough years.’

Another source revealed the Coronation will be ‘majestic’ yet ‘inclusive’, the Telegraph reports. 

Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: ‘The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort is a huge milestone in the history of the UK and Commonwealth. 

‘The weekend of events will bring people together to celebrate our Monarchy and the mixture of tradition and modernity, culture and community that makes our country great. 

‘Everyone is invited to join in, on any day, whether that is by hosting a special street party, watching the Coronation ceremony or spectacular concert on TV, or stepping forward during The Big Help Out to help causes that matter to them.’

Royal historian Hugo Vickers said: ‘Windsor Castle has been a bit sad recently because the Queen was there so much from March 2020 . . . It has been a bit forlorn and it’s good to know that it’s going to be coming back into its own.’ Royal author Sally Bedell Smith added: ‘I think it is a perfect reflection of how [King Charles] wants to adapt the Coronation celebration to the 21st Century.’

The celebrations begin on May 6 with The King’s Procession, where the King and Queen Consort will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach. After their crowning, they will return to the Palace and appear on the balcony with other working members of the Royal Family.

On May 7, as well as the concert, The Big Lunch charity will encourage street parties and picnics around the country. 

Tens of thousands of Coronation Big Lunches and parties will be held in the UK and Commonwealth on Sunday and across the weekend. Big Lunches take place across the UK annually and last year they raised more than £22 million for local charities. 

The following day there will be the Big Help Out – a special bank holiday commissioned by the King in honour of the coronation, and celebrating volunteering groups. 

Historian Lord Roberts of Belgravia said: ‘King Charles has always tried to blend the traditional with the modern.’

Prince Harry’s balcony ban: Duke of Sussex will not join King and Queen Consort at Buckingham Palace for historic coronation moment, sources claim, as his wife and Prince Andrew are also set to miss out

By Kate Mansey for The Mail On Sunday and Elizabeth Haigh for MailOnline

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York are ‘unlikely’ to join the King and Queen Consort on the balcony during the Coronation, The Mail on Sunday understands.

Last night Buckingham Palace confirmed that the newly crowned King and Queen will appear at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony in May.

As with the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year, the line-up of Royals alongside them will be restricted to working members of the family. That will exclude Prince Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew, who no longer carry out official duties.

Prince Andrew stepped down from his official role after allegations of sexual abuse in November 2019. He has always denied the accusations.

Harry and Meghan quit their roles three years ago when they left Britain to start a new life in California.

Earlier this month, Harry released a tell-all book revealing past and present grievances against his family. In a television interview to promote his memoirs, he refused to confirm whether he would attend the Coronation even if he was invited.

There is no indication from Buckingham Palace that Harry and Meghan would be barred from attending the event on May 6, which falls on the fourth birthday of their son Archie.

Yet even if the couple do attend, a senior Royal insider said that it would be ‘unlikely’ that they would be included in major public appearances, including the balcony moment.

After the release of Prince Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, some royal experts said that it seemed impossible for the couple to be able to attend.

It followed claims from the Duke that his brother had once physically attacked him and pushed him into a dog bowl, and that he and his wife’s press team leaked negative stories to the UK media about them.

Buckingham Palace has not commented on the claims.

But contrary to initial analysis, there is now discussion of ‘peace talks’ between the brothers and their father prior to the coronation which, all going well, could pave the way to them attending the event itself.

Prince Harry has since demanded an apology from his family for the way they treated Meghan, after alleging in his memoir that they ‘stereotyped’ her due to her being an American actress. 

It comes after a furious row over whether the Duke of Sussex should have been part of the Buckingham Palace photographs during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Until shortly before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year, it was unknown whether the Sussexes would step out onto the balcony or not. 

When the Queen did make her appearance surrounded by her family, this included Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George, Charlotte and Louis.  

Smiling as she acknowledged the spectators, she looked down on The Mall where tens of thousands had waited in hope of seeing her. 

The Queen looked at ease on the balcony as the celebrations drew to a close, leaning on a walking stick, now a routine aid following her mobility issues, and acknowledging the crowds with a wave.

The Prince of Wales stood with the Queen along with the Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Despite not appearing on the balcony, Harry was pictured in royal photos from the occasion. 

After the national anthem was sung by a choir of celebrities including Sir David Jason, Harry Redknapp, Sir Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw and Felicity Kendal, the Queen waved again at well-wishers and was joined by her great-grandchildren, with Louis waving with both hands.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were noticeably absent from many of the Jubilee proceedings in the first visit to the UK since they moved to the US. 

But they did introduce Lilibet to the Queen on her first birthday, which occurred while the couple were in the UK.

After it was announced that the pair would not be appearing on the balcony, friend and supporter Omid Scobie claimed they did not want to be involved.

It came after a sensational statement from the Queen stating the pair – along with Prince Andrew – would not be invited onto the balcony for Trooping the Colour, the spectacular start of her long weekend of commemorations.

Following that the Sussexes released a statement that they would still fly from California with their two children. 

Mr Scobie wrote: ‘As is often the case, the reality is much less severe when you hear that Prince Harry had already spoken with his grandmother about the possibility of not attending Trooping the Colour long before last week’s announcements.’

He said the pair were ‘very keen’ to be part of the Jubilee celebrations, but that ‘both sides’ thought it would be more appropriate not to have the Sussexes on the balcony.’