King Charles meeting people at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff following a service for Queen Elizabeth
Special church services, a beach party and other events will be held across Wales this weekend to mark the coronation of King Charles.
The Church in Wales called it a “significant and happy” occasion with bells ringing for the King and Queen.
Bells at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff, will ring for two hours before the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday at 11:00 BST.
At St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, they will ring for the ceremony.
People across Wales will come together ahead of the coronation, however, the weather has already interrupted some plans.
A screening of the coronation outside the Friars Walk shopping centre in Newport has been cancelled.
“With rain due to fall all day on Saturday, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the outdoor screening,” managers said in a tweet.
Another event not happening is one at Caldicot Castle in Monmouthshire, after organisers failed to raise £3,000 to cover costs.
In an online post, Caldicot Town Team said a crowdfunding page had been running for 16 days, but despite being promoted on social media it had “failed to raise any money whatsoever”.
Organisers of a beach party in Barmouth, Gwynedd, will be hoping for better weather in the north of the country, where there will be a Big Lunch on the seafront followed by DJs.
Cardiff will be the centre of Wales’ coronation celebrations on the weekend, with one public screening of the ceremony being held at Cardiff Castle and another of the subsequent concert taking place at Roald Dahl Plass.
In all, there are 40 events scheduled in and around the capital over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Anne Daley is one Welsh person in London
Anne Daley, from Cardiff, 65, has been camping in London since Monday as excitement builds.
“We’ve been camping in the park which has been eventful,” she said.
“Terribly excited. My dad is 90 and my dad was on duty of the coronation when Queen Elizabeth went down to be crowned.”
“we’ve seen King Charles go up and down a few times… King Charles was beaming.”
Also camping on the route is Rachel Walters, 53, from Cardigan, Ceredigion.
She said: “I’m here to experience all the pomp and ceremony.
“I came to the jubilee and the Queen’s funeral, so wasn’t going to miss this.”
Rachel Walters said she was not going to miss the celebrations
On Saturday afternoon there will be a party on the green at Llandaff Cathedral from 13:00 to 19:00, with refreshments, stalls, games, and singing from the cathedral choristers.
The Bishop of St Asaph will lead a civic Coronation Evensong at St Asaph Cathedral in Denbighshire from 15:30.
Image source, Church in Wales
The decorations ahead of coronation events at St Giles Parish Church, Wrexham
A reception with refreshments will follow a choir and orchestra performance of coronation anthems at Brecon Cathedral, Powys.
The bells of St Giles Parish Church will ring at 15:00 on coronation day and Sunday at 11:00, followed by a service and afternoon lunch party.
Image source, Getty Images
A portrait of King Charles marking the 50th anniversary of his Investiture as the Prince of Wales
There will also be a procession from the church to St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral where a service will feature the Rhos Orpheus male choir.
St Mary’s Priory Church in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, will hold prayers for the new King and Queen and a Festal Evensong starting from 17:00 on Sunday.
Coronation music, including Hubert Parry’s anthem I Was Glad will be followed by a champagne and canapé reception in the town’s Priory Centre.
Image source, Getty Images
Charles at Cardiff Castle during his first visit to Wales as King
In Swansea, a civic service will be held at St Mary’s Church where the Dunvant male choir will perform with the church choir.
The post office in Llandovery, near Charles and Camilla’s royal estate at Llwynywermod, Carmarthenshire, will be draped in flags, bunting and balloons for the weekend.
