London. 07 May 2023. The Crown Dependencies are three island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey, and the Isle of Man. They are not part of the United Kingdom (UK) nor are they British Overseas Territories. They have the status of “territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible”, rather than sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth and other international organizations, and are members of the British–Irish Council. They have their own teams in the Commonwealth Games.
A public holiday was declared on 8 May in Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Jersey. As in the United Kingdom, Big Help Outs will also be organised in all three Crown Dependencies on the day of the holiday.
The states of Guernsey planned events to celebrate the coronation from 5 to 8 May. A vigil was held on 5 May at Forest Methodist Church to reflect on the coronation’s spiritual element. On 6 May, bells rang from Town Church, Vale, Forest, and St Pierre du Bois. A live broadcast of the coronation service was played on a large screen at the King George V Sports Ground (KGV), followed by a military parade from Fort George to the Model Yacht Pond. A 21-gun salute was fired at noon from Castle Cornet as part of the national salute. On 7 May, a Coronation Big Lunch was held at Saint Peter Port seafront, along with a service of thanksgiving at the Town Church. That evening the Coronation Concert was planned to be screened live at the KGV playing fields, and buildings including Castle Cornet and Fort Grey were illuminated in red, white, and blue in the evening.
In Jersey, on 6 May, Coronation Park hosted a large-screen broadcast of the coronation, musical entertainment, and activities. Licensed establishments were encouraged to open ahead of the ceremony’s broadcast, and seventh category licensed establishments could apply for special extensions to stay open until 3 am on 7 May. On 7 May, the Coronation Big Lunch took place in Liberation Square, where a public screening of the coronation concert was also held.
The Isle of Man government organised three days of festivities from 6 to 8 May. A Coronation Event Fund was established to assist local authorities, community groups, and charities help finance celebrations. On 7 May, a Biosphere Bee Community Picnic took place, and the Legislative Buildings in Douglas was also lit up. A collection of 12 Isle of Man stamps featuring photos of Charles and Camilla, portraits of the King, and the royal cypher were also released in April 2023.
A public holiday was declared in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Gibraltar on 8 May. Several events were planned in Bermuda. On 6 May, commemorative tree planting and the opening of a Coronation Garden, designed to reflect Prince Charles’s work in support of the environment and sustainable farming, took place at Bermuda Botanical Gardens. On 7 May, a service of thanksgiving was held at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, and on 8 May the Children’s Reading Festival took place to recognise Camilla’s commitment to literacy, particularly for young people.
Celebrations in the Falkland Islands included a children’s fancy dress party, a live music and karaoke event for young adults, as well as the Big Lunch and the Big Help Out.
In Gibraltar, festivities took place on 3 May, including a parade of British Forces Gibraltar and essential services, garden and street parties, concerts, and a 21-gun salute performed by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. A live screening of the event also took place at Grand Casemates Square.
Canada
On 6 May, a televised national ceremony to mark the coronation of the King of Canada took place at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in Ottawa. It featured speeches by Algonquin spiritual leader Albert Dumont and aerospace engineer Farah Alibay, and performances by the Eagle River Singers, Sabrina Benaim, Florence K, Inn Echo, and the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir. During the event, Dominic Laporte created a spray-paint artpiece thematically linked to flowers, as an homage to Charles’s support for the natural environment. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and a performance by the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces on Parliament Hill.
The Department of Canadian Heritage provided $257,000 to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to produce educational material for schools on the King’s association with Indigenous peoples in Canada and his tours of the country. The society distributed a special edition of Canadian Geographic about the King. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada approved the use of a special call sign in Canada for amateur radio operators to use from 5 May to 2 June. The interior arch of Princes’ Gates illuminated in emerald green to mark the coronation
Landmarks across Canada were illuminated emerald green on 6 and 7 May. Guided tours were offered at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the monarch and governor general of Canada, and the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces performed there, while members of the Governor General’s Foot Guards performed changing of the guard ceremonies. Several Royal Canadian Legion branches hosted receptions. On 8 May the government announced a donation of $100,000 to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to mark the coronation.
The government issued a coronation medal to 30,000 Canadians who had made significant contributions to the country or their local region. Two commemorative coronation medallions approved by Charles were also produced by the Canadian Heritage Mint.
Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners organised events that included exhibitions, military parades, and tree plantings. The Lieutenant Governors of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan hosted events at their respective Government Houses on 6 May. Additional events were planned at Government House, Nova Scotia, for 2 May and 22 June, and at Government House, Saskatchewan for 7 and 13 May. The latter will feature a debut musical performance by Jeffery Straker, who composed a new song for the coronation. The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta will host an event to mark the coronation on 13 May at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario hosted a panel on the coronation with the Empire Club of Canada on 2 May and will open the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite at the Ontario Legislative Building to the public as a part of Doors Open Toronto on 27 and 28 May. Government House, British Columbia will host a garden festival and unveil a new garden pathway later in 2023 to mark the coronation.
A coronation fair hosted by the government of Ontario at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Other celebrations organised by provincial governments included events organised at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building on 5 May and the Manitoba Legislative Building on 6 May. The government of Ontario hosted a fair at Queen’s Park in Toronto and offered free admission to provincially-owned attractions and 39 provincial parks on the date of the coronation. A program by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to distribute seedlings from the Wooddale Provincial Tree Nursery to the public was launched on 6 May to honour Charles’s focus on environmentalism.
Several coronation concerts were also organised. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario initiated a six-part coronation concert series for long-term care homes from April to May. Several places hosted concerts during the coronation weekend, including the Cathedral Church of St James in Toronto, Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, and Knox-Metropolitan United Church in Regina.
Australia
Celebrating Charles III’s coronation as king of Australia, buildings and monuments across the country were illuminated in royal purple on 6 and 7 May. A flag notice was also issued, urging the display of the national flag, the Aboriginal flag, and Torres Strait Islander flag throughout the coronation weekend. On 7 May, the Australian Defence Force fired a 21-gun salute from the forecourt of Parliament House, followed by a flypast by the Royal Australian Air Force. The Federal Executive Council also made a $10,000 donation in the King’s name to a charity working to conserve the western ground parrot, as an official “coronation gift” to Charles. The ballroom of Government House, Perth during an open house to mark the coronation. A group poses next to a photo portrait of Charles and Camilla in the background.
Government Houses in Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney hosted open houses on 6 and 7 May. Government House in Adelaide will do the same on 21 May, after a garden party took place there during the coronation weekend, when the same was held at Government House in Sydney. Government House, Melbourne will host a reception to mark the occasion later in 2023. The Australian Monarchist League hosted several low-key events and screenings of the coronation on 5 and 6 May, including in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney; but, opted not to organise street parties over concerns that they might be disrupted by republican protesters. The Australian Government was criticised by monarchists for not declaring a public holiday, or organising official government events to mark the coronation.
New Zealand
The Sky Tower in Auckland illuminated in purple on 6 May 2023 to mark the coronation
To celebrate the coronation of Charles III as king of New Zealand, a national event featuring performances was held at the Auckland Domain on 7 May. The New Zealand Defence Force performed a gun salute at Devonport and Point Jerningham in Wellington on the same day.
Trees That Count and the Department of Conservation initiated a tree planting campaign, with the New Zealand Government providing one million dollars to support the planting of 100,000 trees by local councils during the coronation weekend. The campaign was launched on the grounds of Parliament House, Wellington on 26 April, during a tree planting ceremony with various parliamentarians, including Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon.
NZ Post released commemorative coins and stamps on 3 May. An initiative to illuminate landmarks in purple also took place in Auckland, Hawera, and Wellington on 6 May.
Several other public services and private groups also organised commemorative events. The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts is holding a special exhibition to mark the coronation from 21 April to 21 May, featuring works from 68 practising artists and pieces belonging to the Royal New Zealand Navy. Libraries in South Taranaki hosted coronation events from 1 to 6 May. The Wellington Cathedral of St Paul held a coronation festival from 5 to 7 May.
Papua New Guinea
A ceremony was held at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby on 6 May to commemorate Charles III’s coronation as king of Papua New Guinea. The event was held simultaneously with the coronation ceremony in the United Kingdom. The ceremony included a parade by members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, Papua New Guinea Fire Services, Papua New Guinea Correctional Services and St John Ambulance, a live screening of the coronation, and various speeches and live musical performances, and a fireworks finale. Keynote speeches by acting Governor-General Job Pomat and Prime Minister James Marape were also made at the ceremony.
Solomon Islands
To celebrate Charles III’s coronation as king of Solomon Islands, a wake-up call by drumbeaters, pan pipers and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force band took place in Honiara on 6 May. A commemorative church service was held at the St Barnabas Provincial Cathedral to celebrate the coronation, which also included a cake-cutting ceremony. The service was attended by several ministers of the Crown, including Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. A public musical performance by One Drop Band was also held at the Unity Square, where a photographic slidehow of historic royal visits to Solomon Islands was also displayed. From 5 to 12 May, the National Art Gallery held an exhibition displaying portraits, historical records, and visits by members of the royal family to Solomon Islands.
Antigua and Barbuda
Events to mark the coronation of Charles as king of Antigua and Barbuda took place in St. John’s. On 7 May, a parade featuring the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF), Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Brigades, The Duke of Edinburgh Award recipients, Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinder, and Cadet Corps marched from the Multipurpose Cultural Centre to Government House. There, a ceremony took place that included a bonfire and performances by the ABDF Band, Salvation Army Timbralists, and SDA Parthfinders Drum Corps. On 8 May, a service of Thanksgiving to mark the occasion took place at the St John’s Pentecostal House of Restoration Ministries.
Vanuatu
The Kastom people who worshipped Prince Philip on the Vanuatuan island of Tanna marked the coronation of his son. Events were organised in the villages of Yakel and Yaohnanen throughout 6 May, including a flag-raising ceremony of the Union Flag, and drinking and dancing. Around 5,000 to 6,000 people gathered to celebrate, with an additional 100 chiefs also attending.
