His Majesty King Charles III wants to encourage people to spend the Coronation Weekend celebrating with friends, families, and their communities. So, in the spirit of community and comradery, we asked our inspiring Diana Award recipients from around the world to share how they plan to celebrate this prestigious event.
“The last coronation was held 70 years ago, and it’s still magical watching those clips” states Mishal Faraz, a 2020 Diana Award Recipient. “To be able to witness the grandeur of that ceremony in our lifetime is truly exciting. It is a historic moment, and we are so thrilled to be witnessing an occasion as momentous as this.”
Similarly, John Christy Johnson, who received his Diana Award in 2022, explains that “the coronation of King Charles III will be a momentous occasion for the world and one that warrants a patriotic celebration. I pray that the occasion will proceed smoothly for both King Charles III and everyone else involved.”
The Coronation of The King and Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023. The ceremony will be broadcast live across the globe, allowing many of our international Award recipients take part in the celebrations, despite being based halfway across the world, such as Australia-based 2022 recipient Anban Ashlan Raj.
“Thanks to technology, distance is not a problem!”
Mahbubul Abrar, a 2021 Diana Award recipient explains that he hopes to celebrate the coronation in Bangladesh “by gathering with friends and family to celebrate the historical occasion, watching the coronation ceremony on TV and then enjoying a traditional Bangladeshi meal, sharing stories about what the coronation means to us and the impact it will have in our lives.”
On Sunday, 7th May, King Charles III has invited communities across the country to take part in The Coronation Big Lunch, where neighbours come together to catch up, share lunch and have fun. A lot of our recipients have told us about their plans to eat ‘British themed’ food to celebrate the day. Ayesha Zain, a 2022 recipient based in the Netherlands hopes “to arrange a royal-themed dinner party with my friends, complete with a royal-themed menu and dress code.” Similarly, Olivia Meeds, a 2021 recipient will being having “a ‘royal buffet’ complete with plenty of scones, clotted cream and jam”, while Afruza Tanzi, another 2021 recipient will celebrate with “a Victoria Sponge cake and coronation quiche!”
Finally, on Monday 8th May, members of the public have been invited to take part in The Big Help Out. Thousands of organisations across the country are encouraging the public to make a difference in their local communities, with plenty of opportunities to get involved and try out volunteering for themselves. One of our 2022 Diana Award Recipients, Milan Paul Kumar, hopes to spend this day helping others, explaining “for The Big Help Out, I am looking forward to volunteering my time in a care home to combat loneliness among older adults. Join in, lend a hand. Make a change.”
Having spoken to our Award Recipients, it’s clear that while this weekend is centred around the historic and symbolic ceremony, the focus of the celebrations around the world will be on community, spending time with loved ones and helping others.
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