Charles, William and Kate join world leaders for lunch ahead of coronation
Members of the royal family and several world leaders met at Buckingham Palace with just 24 hours to go before the King’s coronation.
The 42 attendees included UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, Australian leader Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins.
Charles was joined by his family including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent also joined the group.
The royals have been out and about today on several engagements, with Charles, William and Kate doing a walkabout on The Mall to meet superfans who have been camping for days in preparation for tomorrow’s procession.
Charles has privately been engaged too, meeting world leaders as they fly into London from across the world to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
He will later attend Commonwealth leaders’ meeting and a garden reception at Marlborough House, which is the HQ of the Commonwealth.
World leaders met in the white drawing room at Buckingham Palace, then had a drinks reception in the music room and lunch in the blue drawing room.
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The historic Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla will take place in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
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Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was seen speaking to some of the world leaders.
Rishi Sunak looked relaxed as he laughed with guests, despite his party’s huge losses in yesterday’s local elections.
Around 100 heads of state will attend the coronation tomorrow, and representatives from 203 different countries are expected to attend.
Guests include French president Emmanuel Macron, and Germany and Italy’s ceremonial presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella.
Chinese vice-president Han Zheng – who was a key player in the crackdown on Hong Kong – is also on the guest list, which has been heavily criticised.
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