The first coronation in 70 years has begun, with King Charles III and the Queen Consort ready for their historic carriage trip to Westminster Abbey.

Crowds of people wearing Union jacks have gathered along the parade route in London, eager to see the King.

There will be 2,300 guests inside the abbey, including 100 heads of state.

Celebrity visitors have also arrived, including actress Emma Thompson and US singer Katy Perry.

The service will begin at 11:00 BST and last around two hours.

The notion of service will be central to King Charles’ Coronation, and in his first prayer upon entering the Abbey, he will remark, “I come not to be served, but to serve.”

The King and Camilla will travel to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.

The Duke of Sussex, who came from the United States on a commercial aircraft on Friday, is also on the guest list.

It will be his first public appearance alongside his brother, Prince William, since the publication of his memoir, Spare.

Prince Harry is expected to fly back to the United States shortly after the ceremony to rejoin his wife, Meghan, since their baby Archie is celebrating his birthday.

As the rain begins to fall, umbrellas begin to appear along the procession path.

Despite the English weather, there has been a festive vibe on The Mall, with frequent Mexican waves and cheers for police officers and security guards.

Alexandra Hornyak, 57, of Montreal, Canada, will be among those viewing from Green Park.

“I’ve known for years that I would want to attend this day, and the day that it was announced, I was driving to the office, and my husband just called me and said ‘May 6’,” she told the BBC.

“I knew exactly what it was. And I jumped on the phone to get a hotel reservation and we went from there.”

Karen Daly, 54, from Birmingham, said “We could have done this at home, but the atmosphere is so good and everyone’s really happy.

“When the Queen died, we couldn’t make it because we all couldn’t get out of work. So we booked off as soon as we knew about the coronation.”

When his mother Elizabeth died after 70 years on the throne, Charles ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom and 14 other nations.

The crowning ceremonies, the 40th to take place at Westminster Abbey since 1066, have been months in the making.

Outside the abbey, unlike the procession path, there are no crowds because it is closed to the public prior to the ceremony.

The ceremony will be led by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be accompanied by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.

“There have been wall-to-wall rehearsals this week, and indeed last week,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“None of us have done this for a very long time, so working out the choreography has been complex”.

The ceremony’s high point will be the placing of the St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head, which will be signalled by the abbey bells and a gun salute at the adjacent Horse Guards Parade.

Camilla will be crowned alongside Charles, and following the couple’s long and often difficult relationship, she will be referred to as “Queen Camilla” for the first time.

The event will promote diversity and inclusivity, with more multi-faith aspects than any previous coronation, including contributions from representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh faiths.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is Hindu, will read a Bible lesson, and songs will be sung in Welsh, Scottish, and Irish Gaelic.

For the first time in a coronation ritual dating back over a thousand years, women bishops will be present.

Following the service, King Charles and Queen Camilla will ride in the Gold State Coach back to Buckingham Palace in a mile-long (1.6km) parade led by 4,000 troops and 19 military bands.

When they arrive at the palace, it is unclear who will accompany the King and Queen to the ceremonial balcony appearance.

There are plans for a flypast when the senior royals are on the palace balcony, but the weather prediction is for overcast and rain.

What else is happening around the UK on Coronation day?

The Coronation has also drawn a tiny number of protestors from Republic, the organisation advocating for the monarchy’s overthrow.

Six demonstrators were detained while unloading a trailer with banners just north of the square.

There will be a tremendous security operation, with the Metropolitan Police deploying 11,500 police in what they claim will be their largest single-day deployment ever.

Protesters against the monarchy have maintained their right to demonstrate, but police have warned that “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low.”

The invitation of Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who is accused of presiding over a crackdown on civil freedoms in Hong Kong, has also been questioned.

There has also been considerable debate about whether or not individuals at home were asked to vow their loyalty to the King.

The Church of England has said that this is completely optional and that individuals may instead have a “private moment of reflection.”