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Once King Charles is crowned at around noon today, London will go into full party mode. There’ll be the official coronation concert, a gazillion street parties and, of course, the big coronation flypast.
Weather permitting, 68 aircraft, including the Red Arrows, are due to take off for a stunning display, soaring over parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex before going over Buckingham Palace. Even if you couldn’t give a toss about the new monarch (or his peculiar fingers), the air show is going to be quite a spectacle. Here’s everything you need to know about the coronation flypast.
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What time is the flypast for the coronation?
The Red Arrows, 16 helicopters and historic Spitfires from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take off from the North Sea off the Norfolk coast at around 1.15pm today. The jets are due to fly over Buckingham Palace at 2.30pm, part of a six-minute air show over London after the crowning and subsequent return procession from Westminster Abbey.
What’s the route for the coronation flypast?
The flypast route has been split into zones that have each been given an approximate time slot. These are the details:
Zone A: North Sea and Norfolk Coast, 1.15pm-3pm
Zone B: Norfolk (Thetford) and Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds), 1.45pm-3pm
Zone C: Suffolk (Ipswich), 2pm-3pm
Zone D: Essex (Colchester, Chelmsford), 2pm-2.45pm
Zone E: London, 2.10pm-2.45pm
Zone F: London (Croydon) and Surrey, 2.20pm-3pm
Zone G: Berkshire (Reading), Wiltshire (Swindon) and Oxfordshire (Oxford), 2.20pm-3pm
Zone H: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, 2.20pm-3pm
Zone I: Wiltshire (Marlborough, Tidworth), 2.20pm-3pm
How can I track the coronation flypast?
You can track the flight using air traffic website Flightradar24. The flight tracker has published a blogpost and video giving instructions on how to set up the right filters on the map to track the coronation flypast.
Where is the best spot to watch on the ground?
Depending on where you are in the UK, you’ll need to be in one of the zones mentioned above to catch a glimpse of the aircraft. For the best views, an open space away from tall buildings will be your best bet. If you’ve made it to central London and into one of the viewing areas around Buckingham Palace, you’ll just need to look skywards at 2.30pm. It will be hard to miss.
This is all still weather permitting, and if it’s too rainy or cloudy there's a chance the flypast won’t go ahead.
Read more: here’s everything you need to know about the King’s coronation.
Plus: what time is King Charles’s coronation and how long is it?
Oh, and: the coronation concert line-up has finally been revealed.