What London should expect on the day of King Charles' Coronation

Millions of people across the UK are making colourful preparations to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III this coming weekend. Street parties, large crowds and high-spirited parades of royal fans are expected to gather in both London and Windsor during the ceremony.

Already, the windows are adorned with flags, grand photographs of His Majesty are soaring on double-decker buses and royal merchandise is selling like hotcakes in the souvenir shops. To add to the spectacle, hundreds of thousands of overseas visitors are expected to swell the streets of central London.

British history buff Robin Higgins Horwitz, 58, is already set to travel from Skokie, Illinois to London for an organised tour of the city's royal landmarks and, of course, for the King's coronation. Her interest in the royal family stemmed from watching the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, back in 1981. Ms Higgins Horwitz asked: "How many times does it happen in one's lifetime that you get to see a coronation? It's history in the making." She also stated to have watched Netflix's critically-acclaimed series "The Crown" and read Prince Harry's memoir "Spare".

According to vacation rental chain Airbnb, searches for overnight stays in London during the coronation weekend increased drastically. US travellers are among the top guests in London around the coronation dates, alongside guests from France, Australia, Germany and various places around the UK.

The ceremonial crowning of King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will take place on Saturday, May 6th at Westminster Abbey, with Charles III being the fortieth reigning monarch crowned in the royal church since 1066.

Guests invited to the coronation include the Prince, Princess of Wales and their children, Princess Royal, the Duke of York, the Earl of Snowdon, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The Duke of Sussex will be attending the ceremony whilst Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in California. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty are also invited to the ceremony, alongside previous prime ministers of the United Kingdom.

The King's Procession and the Sovereign's Escort of Household Cavalry will depart Buckingham Palace through the Centre Gate. The procession will then pass through the Admiralty Arch, take the south side exit of Trafalgar Square, cross Whitehall and Parliament Street, and then take the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary before arriving at Westminster Abbey for 11 am.

As per tradition, there will be five main elements to the coronation at the Abbey: the recognition, the oath, the anointing, the investiture and crowning and the enthronement and homage, including the Queen Consort's coronation. The sovereign will then make three statutory oaths: the Scottish oath, the accession declaration oath and the coronation oath.

The crowning glory of the ceremony will be at the precise moment the golden crown is placed on the King's head, and gun salutes will mark the occasion as a new monarch is welcomed. Once the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, crowns His Majesty, he will joyously proclaim "God save the King", with the entire congregation following suit, and expressing good health and royal blessing for King Charles III.