Catch up: What you missed about the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla

While New Zealand was sleeping, the Commonwealth entered a new royal era. At London’s Westminster Abbey, Charles, son of the beloved Queen Elizabeth II, officially became King Charles III while his wife Camilla was crowned Queen.

Rain fell intermittently from a grey sky over the course of the occasion, prompting Union Jack brollies to open amid a sea of spectators on Pall Mall and beyond.

At 12pm (GMT), King Charles III became the oldest person ever to have been crowned monarch in the UK. His wife of 18 years was crowned and officially dropped the ‘consort’ from her title; an occasion that’s been the subject of thousands of “side chick” memes.

Tens of thousands of people stood in the drizzle along the procession route, while many more packed into pubs to watch the spectacle over a pint.

READ MORE:
* At King Charles’ coronation, royal grandchildren charm with yawns and waves
* Charles III crowned in ancient rite at Westminster Abbey
* Prince Harry heads back to US before end of his father’s Coronation

For those of you that haven’t burnt the midnight oil to watch history in action, we’ve rounded up the highlights of the day.

The lead up to the ceremony

On the eve of the coronation, Stuff spoke to the spectators already in situ on the 2.25km stretch of road between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace – known as Pall Mall.

Having flown all the way from Boston, Massachusetts, Laura Richardson, her husband Peter and their daughter Kate were thrilled to have nabbed front-row seats on the Mall. Laura, who was sporting a Union Jack bucket hat and a fresh royal blue manicure, said King Charles is “underrated”.

“He’s been at the forefront of so many important environmental issues for such a long time, and I think the world is catching up to him in that regard,” she said.

A little further down the Mall, 21-year-old Cara Rogers was already toasting the King with a plastic cup of vodka and lemonade. The University of Westminster student was also celebrating having finished her studies; on Thursday she raced through her last exam – in French – and finished early in order to secure a spot with her friends.

“We’ve got everything; blankets, furs, plenty of alcohol,” she said. “We’re looking forward to seeing the King and the golden carriage. Iconic.”

The regal guest list

The 2300 guests invited to Westminster Abbey were given strict instructions to begin arriving for the event at 7.15am on Saturday morning – well before the ceremony at 11am.

As the morning progressed, celebrities, royals and more than 100 heads of state were seated in the Abbey. All Black captain Richie McCaw made an appearance alongside Lionel Richie and Jill Biden, while Boris Johnson and the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister – Liz Truss – had also scored invites.

Katy Perry, who is due to perform at the King’s Coronation Concert on Sunday, appeared to have trouble spotting her seat from under a giant lavender fascinator.

Prince Harry was wearing a morning suit in lieu of military uniform or robes and sandwiched between Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and their spouses. The royal redhead, who reportedly flew into Heathrow on a commercial American Airlines flight, sans Meghan as expected, sat three rows behind Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The main event

The coronation ceremony kicked off at 11am sharp, after the King and Queen pulled up to the Abbey in a gilt-trimmed, horse-drawn carriage. Prince George, who was one of eight schoolboys taking on the role of Page of Honour, held his grandfather’s regal robes as he entered the Abbey.

In an archaic ritual which in keeping with tradition, was hidden behind a screen, 74-year-old Charles was anointed with holy oil and swore the oath of kings.

There was a moment of hesitancy (will it fit? Will it stay put?) as the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, placed St Edward’s crown (which weighs in at a hefty 2.23kg) on Charles’ head, to a rather cult-ish cry of ‘God save the king’. The King then vowed to preserve the Protestant religion in the UK and to maintain the rights of the Church of England.

After Camilla was crowned, also by the archbishop, the newly crowned couple left the Abbey in a second royal procession.

The King and Queen were accompanied by members of the Royal Family as they appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the flypast and the conclusion of the day’s ceremonial events.

The outfit changes

Just days after the Met Gala, King Charles III was dressed to impress during his coronation ceremony and underwent a number of outfit changes throughout the three-hour long event.

During his arrival, the King was wearing the Robe of State, a deep red coronation tunic and cream silk overshirt with royal naval trousers, which are regularly worn as part of his Royal Navy full ceremonial tailcoat.

For the service itself, Charles donned the Stole Royal, a garment made of gold cloth newly created and embroidered by the Royal School of needlework. The stole is edged with gold Grecian and pearl purl, lined with gold and fringed with a gold twist

During his anointment and crowning, Charles underwent two more outfit changes – into the plain white anointing gown meant to convey purity before gold – and then the Supertunica, a gold robe weighing 2kg and embroidered with flowers.

As he left the Abbey King Charles made his final wardrobe switch – into the Robe of Estate and a coronation tunic in the deep royal purple.