Armed forces rehearse King Charles's big day ahead of the coronation

Practice makes perfect! With just four days to go the armed forces rehearse King Charles’s big day ahead of the coronation

• Soldiers paraded past Buckingham Palace during coronation rehearsals
• Royal fans are camping out to get front-row seats to the historic ceremony

Jovial royal fanatics have been treated to a first glimpse of the Coronation of King Charles III as rehearsals take place down the Mall. 

Dozens of people lined the Birdcage Walk in London to watch as soldiers dressed in bright yellow and red military uniforms paraded past Buckingham Palace towards Westminster Abbey early this morning. 

Despite there being a controlled explosion earlier in the grounds of Buckingham Palace yesterday, members of the public are still determined to camp out for several days to ensure front-row seats to the historic ceremony.

The coronation ceremony for King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla on Saturday will be the most glorious display of pageantry seen in Britain for a generation. 

Thousands of onlookers will line the streets of Westminster as some 7,000 armed forces personnel process from the Abbey back to Buckingham Palace where the newly-crowned king and queen will be given a royal salute in the gardens. 

Jovial royal fanatics have been treated to a first glimpse of the Coronation of King Charles III as rehearsals take place down the Mall

Dozens of people lined the Birdcage Walk in London to watch as members of the military march paraded past Buckingham Palace towards Westminster Abbey early this morning

Royal fans watched as members of the military march rehearsed for the Coronation just after 12.20am this morning

At least 15 tents are already positioned along the mall and royal fans got to test out what view they will have of the King when a carriage was pulled along the Mall by white horses

Royal fans watched as members of the military march rehearsed for the Coronation just after 12.20am this morning.

A brass band in yellow uniforms on horseback started the parade after a recording of the national anthem.

Onlookers skipped along next to a band and ran after the regiments of mounted soldiers that followed.

Crowds ran through St James’ Park to find the best spots along the Mall with many observers trying to spot their relatives in their military outfits. 

The cheery scene was a stark contrast to early yesterday evening when police swarmed on Buckingham Palace after a man was arrested for allegedly throwing shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds.

The man, who witnesses claim had been previously seen outside the royal residence ranting ‘I’m going to kill the King’, was held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after he was searched and a knife was found, but he was not carrying a gun.

Cordons were put in place after the man was found with a ‘suspicious bag’ but have since been removed.

Ricardo Sousa and Elizabeth Godfrey, who are among those camping at the Mall, said they ‘didn’t even know anything had happened.’ 

A brass band in yellow uniforms on horseback started the parade after a recording of the national anthem

Some 7,000 armed forces personnel will process from the Abbey back to Buckingham Palace where the newly-crowned king and queen will be given a royal salute in the gardens. Officials are pictured during a rehearsal this morning

A tent has been set up in advance of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III on the Mall

A band marches through Westminster during a nighttime coronation rehearsal

Members of the military march near Buckingham Palace in central London during a nighttime rehearsal for the coronation which will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday

Yesterday evening when police swarmed on Buckingham Palace after a man was arrested for allegedly throwing shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds

 Police patrol the scene after a man was arrested after allegedly throwing items, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London

‘We work not far from here and we’re night owls so instead of going to bed we thought we should come down and watch,’ the pair explained.

‘It’s something to be part of and it’s nice to see the military from different parts of world united.’

Gemma Gale, whose husband is a Royal Navy reserve who was marching during the rehearsal, said it was ‘disgusting’ that there was a police incident earlier in the night.

Ms Gale, 41, said: ‘We’re from the south coast and my husband is marching tonight. This is brilliant, it’s all amazing.

‘It doesn’t surprise me something happened earlier tonight, unfortunately, it’s to be expected.

‘With events like this it’s opportunists, they’re all out because they have a big audience with the coronation. It’s not right, it’s disgusting.’

At least 15 tents are already positioned along the mall and royal fans got to test out what view they will have of the King when a carriage was pulled along the Mall by white horses.

With just four days to go until the coronation, superfans have said they are prepared to camp out for several days to secure front-row seats to Saturday’s festivities.

‘This is a moment in history. We are so fortunate that we are living through a coronation,’ Marie Scott, who was among the first to set up camp on the avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, said yesterday.

Troops march through Parliament Square in a dress rehearsal ahead of the coronation

A man wearing an apparent union jack poncho walks past tents and people who have started to queue for the coronation of King Charles III

Members of a military band march along the Mall near Buckingham Palace in central London during a rehearsal for the coronation of King Charles III

Foldaway chairs and a large poster of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla were set up along the Mall

Members of the military march near Buckingham Palace early this morning in preparation for Saturday’s coronation ceremony

Ms Scott, 52, has been attending royal events since the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. She said being there in person is not the same as watching it from a TV screen.

‘You’ve got to see them with your own eyes and get the feel of everything around you,’ Ms Scott explained as she finished setting up a tent.

‘It’s magical, seeing all the military, the military bands coming down. It makes you proud, proud to be British.’

Ms Scott is with a group of friends, who have reserved their spots days in advance. 

Among them is Carol Foster, 63, who has been camping on The Mall since last Thursday.

‘We wanted to get a good spot, because we think it’s going to be busy. And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,’ Ms Foster said after her first night of camping.

Also part of their group is Patrick O’Neill, who flew in from Belfast in Northern Ireland and is a seasoned attendee of royal events.

He said he has come to ‘soak up the atmosphere’ in the run-up to the coronation and to spend time with people who share a common passion.

‘It’s important that I’ll be with my friends that I’ve met over the years from all different places in the country,’ said Mr O’Neill, donning a plastic crown and wrapped in a Union Jack flag with a portrait of King Charles.

‘It’s a real interest. It’s a real passion… It’s hard to put into words how much it means to me,’ he said.

A band practises for the coronation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla on Saturday. The ceremony will be the most glorious display of pageantry seen in Britain for a generation

Workers carry pizza boxes past the gates of Buckingham Palace late last night

Royal enthusiasts set-up a tent along the Coronation route at The Mall in London yesterday

A teddy bear decorated with a crown is left on the side of a tent on King’s Charles’ III Coronation route along The Mall in London

Further up The Mall and a few steps closer to Buckingham Palace was Faith Nicholson, who shares a long list of royal events that she has attended over the years.

‘It’s a great atmosphere, everybody is really kind and everyone looks after each other,’ Ms Nicholson said. ‘Once it really kicks off, it’s really memorable’.

The upcoming coronation – the first since 1953 – has also attracted visitors from abroad, like Thomas Moore, an American with English roots who travelled from near Salt Lake City with his wife Stephanie.

Mr Moore, 80, said they have crossed the Atlantic for many royal events over the years, the last being Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne, last year.

‘I get goosebumps when I see a king driving by. I’m part of an old generation where that means a lot,’ Moore said as they set up folding camping chairs.

‘This is a very special occasion. This is going into your blood.’

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