King Charles coronation procession plan revealed with Australian built coach being used

Final details of how King Charles will be crowned have been revealed with major changes to the procession. See how it will unfold.

Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort.

King Charles will wave to royal watchers at his coronation from inside a more modern, comfortable Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was built in Australia.

The detail was revealed in Buckingham Palace’s new coronation plans which also outline a shorter procession route, and the crown jewels he and Camilla will wear.

The monarch and Camilla have personally decided to make the two kilometre outward journey – known as the King’s Procession – from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the more modern, comfortable Diamond Jubilee State Coach.

The coach, made by Australian Jim Frecklington, is the newest in the Royal Mews and features modern technology, shock absorbers, heating and airconditioning.

It was first used by the late Queen at the State Opening of parliament in 2014.

After the ceremony, the King and the Queen Consort will then travel in a shorter procession route than the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort walk with Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York as they arrive for the Easter Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel. Picture: AFP

They will break with tradition by only using an elaborate 260-year-old Gold State Coach one way on their return.

The procession in the Gold State Coach will feature a cast of hundreds of members of the Armed Forces from the UK, Commonwealth and the British Overseas Territories, as well as the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen.

King Charles III and Camilla and Queen Consort Camilla. Picture: Getty

They will travel back to the Palace in the Gold State Coach after the ceremony, reversing their outward journey as they wave to the crowds.

The late Queen rode both ways in the Gold State Coach for her 1953 coronation, famously describing the bumpy experience in the carriage as “horrible”.

The route is understood to have been chosen for practical reasons, being a familiar tried and tested journey.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The carriages chosen reflect the smaller procession to the Abbey and the larger procession back to Buckingham Palace. They were the personal choice of Their Majesties.”

Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace in the new Diamond Jubilee state coach following the State Opening of Parliament on June 4, 2014 in London. Picture: Getty

Jim Frecklington and his Royal Coach before it went to London ro be used in 2014.

The Palace declined to comment on whether the decision to opt for the Diamond Jubilee State Coach at the start has anything to do with ongoing back pain the King has suffered for many decades. Camilla has also endured back problems over the years.

Royal Collection Trust curator of decorative arts Sally Goodsir said: “The Gold State Coach will be the centrepiece of the much larger procession from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace on coronation day.

The late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the Golden State Carriage at the head of a parade from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee June 4, 2002. Picture: Getty

“It weighs four tonnes and because of that it can only be used at walking pace which really adds to the majesty and stateliness of this great royal procession.”

Mr Frecklington, from Peak Hill in NSW, was the first Australian to work in The Royal Mews.

He began his stint in 1972 and was asked to travel with Her Majesty to Australia the following year to open the Sydney Opera House.

Mr Frecklington and the Queen regularly rode horses together.

As for crown jewels, Camilla will be crowned with the modified Queen Mary’s Crown, but she will also hold the Queen Consort’s Rod with Dove – despite the controversial rod being made from ivory.

'St. Edward's Crown.

The Imperial State Crown.

She will also hold the Queen Consort’s Sceptre with Cross, which was originally made for the coronation of Mary of Modena, Queen Consort of James II, in 1685 and is inlaid with rock crystals.

She will receive the Queen Consort’s Ring – a ruby in a gold setting made for the coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide in 1831, and used by three further Queens Consort – Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and the Queen Mother.

As previously announced, the King will be crowned with the 17th century St Edward’s Crown which has been resized to fit his head.

He will switch it for the lighter Imperial State Crown at the end of the ceremony.