King Charles to hold VIP reception at Buckingham Palace on eve of coronation
King Charles is holding a VIP reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of his coronation, but is thought to be breaking with royal tradition by not holding a banquet before his 6 May crowning.
King Charles is holding a VIP reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of his coronation.
The monarch, 74, due to crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey on 6 May alongside his 75-year-old wife Queen Consort Camilla, has invited foreign heads of state for the gathering, with Princess Beatrix, the former queen of the Netherlands, already confirming her attendance.
She will attend with her granddaughter and heir to the Dutch throne Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange, a confirmation statement on the Royal House of the Netherlands’ official website stated.
It added King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands would be attending the Coronation service in Westminster Abbey on 6 May, but not the reception the night before.
The statement said: “His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty
Queen Máxima will attend the Coronation ceremony of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6 2023.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Her Royal
Highness Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange, will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace on May 5 on the eve of the Coronation.”
It’s expected other guests will include other senior British royals as well as presidents and prime ministers from around the world.
The Daily Telegraph reported that despite holding the reception, Charles is set to breaking with tradition by not holding a banquet as his late mother and grandfather did ahead of their coronations.
The late Queen, who died in September aged 96, hosted a Commonwealth banquet in 1953, while King George VI ate with Commonwealth leaders on the eve of his crowning in 1937.
