New Zealand will not mark the coronation of King Charles III with a public holiday.
An announcement from Buckingham Palace today said Charles (73) would be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 next year in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8.
Charles is king and head of state not only of the United Kingdom but of 14 other realms including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Jamaica and Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand observed a one-off public holiday on September 26 in memory of the 96-year-old Queen, Britain's longest reigning monarch.
"May 6 falls on a Sunday our time, which means there's an opportunity for many people to watch the coronation and mark this special occasion in other ways too if they wish to."
Charles will be crowned in a solemn religious ceremony conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be crowned alongside her husband.
"The coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the palace said.
Charles will be anointed with holy oil before receiving the orb, sceptre and coronation ring. Camilla will also be anointed with holy oil and crowned, as was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
The palace is planning the coronation, known as Operation Golden Orb, as Charles and his heir, Prince William, seek to demonstrate that the monarchy is still relevant in modern, multi-cultural Britain.
Kings and Queens of England, and later Britain and the United Kingdom, have been crowned at Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.
Charles is the 41st monarch in a line that traces its origins back to William, and he will be the oldest monarch to be crowned.
British media have reported that Charles wants to scale down some of the customary grandeur around the coronation, mindful that it would come as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis.
The palace said it would maintain the "core elements" of the traditional ceremony "while recognising the spirit of our times".
- NZ Herald and Reuters
