Prince William and Kate take the tube to the pub ahead of King Charles' coronation
Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate took a trip by Tube to a London pub on Thursday and told locals that preparations are still being nailed down for his father King Charles III's coronation, the most significant royal event in a generation.
King Charles will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday in a grand ceremony dating back some 1,000 years.
William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were greeted by crowds outside the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, the heart of London's night-time economy, before heading inside to meet regulars, publicans and business owners.
''I'm not too bad at drinking pints but pulling pints is another matter'," said William, who pulled a pint of "Kingmaker" beer himself inside the 19th Century hostelry.
On Saturday, William, the heir, and Kate will follow King Charles' golden coach in a carriage procession through central London.
For their trip to the pub, the royals took a less glamorous mode of transport, riding on the Elizabeth underground train line named in honour of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
Giant crown displayed in London ahead of coronation weekend
A giant replica of St Edward’s Crown was installed at London’s Marble Arch on Thursday ahead of King Charles’ Coronation.
The 16 feet installation weighs 300 kilos and features 36 different coloured glass stones, Marble Arch London said in a statement.
“The location here is fantastic because it's right on on the edge of Hyde Park, through which hundreds of thousands of people will walk this way on Saturday,” Marble Arch chief executive Kay Buxton told Reuters.
Locals and tourists were seen taking pictures and selfies of the crown replica as the Coronation spirit grows in London.
“We have so beautiful things like this, and London is more beautiful this weekend. So I can’t wait for the next two days,” said a tourist from Brazil Liliana Costa.
The key moment of Saturday's ceremony will be when Charles - sitting on a coronation chair dating back more than 700 years - is given regalia, from bejewelled orbs and sceptres to swords and a ring.
The culmination will see the 360-year-old St Edward's Crown, weighing in at 2.2 kg (4 lb 12 ounces) and a replacement for an original dating back to the 11th Century, placed onto Charles' head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Reuters
