Will there be a public holiday in Australia for King Charles' coronation?
Buckingham Palace revealed this month that King Charles III will be crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey next year on Saturday May 6.
King Charles automatically became King following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but the coronation ceremony will not be taking place for several months after his ascension, in keeping with royal tradition.
The ceremony will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, and, according to a statement released by the palace, it 'will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long standing traditions and pageantry'.
England’s Kings and Queens have been crowned at Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.
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King Charles will be the 41st monarch in William’s line of descendants, as well as being the oldest monarch to be crowned, at the age of 74.
The palace said it would maintain the 'core elements' of the traditional ceremony 'while recognising the spirit of our times'.
With the announcement of a coronation date, Australians are wondering if this will mean another public holiday.
When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, Australians received a one-off public holiday, following from the public holiday they received for her father, King George VI’s coronation.
In September, Australia was also given a one-off public holiday to mourn the death of the late Queen.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said there will not be a public holiday in her country.
According to The New Zealand Herald, Ms Ardern said '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'.
Similarly for Australians, the coronation will fall on a weekend, and will take place overnight in Australian time.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office is yet to comment on the matter, leaving it unclear whether plans for a coronation holiday are in the works.
Topics: Australia
Emma Xerri