Watch the Coronation free online: live stream King Charles' crowning in the UK, US and Commonwealth now

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Live from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, via 1953

Watch Coronation live stream
(Image credit: BBC)

Watch the Coronation: FREE live streams

The Coronation of King Charles is free to watch on numerous TV channels and streaming services around the world. Viewers in the UK can choose between the BBC, ITV and Sky News, while Channel 7, Network 10 and ABC TV will show it for free in Australia. Full details on how to watch the coronation just below, what time it begins and the full timetable for the coronation weekend. Don't forget: use a VPN watch King Charles' coronation for FREE from anywhere now.

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Date: Saturday, May 6
Start time: 11am BST / 6am ET / 3am PT / 3.30pm IST / 8pm AEST
FREE BBC coverage: BBC iPlayer (UK)
Use ExpressVPN to unblock BBC iPlayer from abroad
Global streams: ITVX (UK) | 7Plus (AU) | CBC Gem (CA) | TVNZ Plus (NZ)

Your guide to The Coronation of King Charles

The first ceremony of its kind to be held in the UK in 70 years, the coronation of King Charles will be the most lavish monarchical event in British history, complete with golden horse-drawn carriages, grandiose sceptres and velvet-lined thrones. Excited to watch the Coronation of King Charles live? It's going to be a soggy one today but King Charles III is unlikely to let it spoil the show.

Charles and Camilla will leave Westminster Abbey as king and queen, travelling in the Gold State Coach.

The festivities begin this morning with The King’s Procession, which sees the king and current queen consort, Camilla, travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six royal horses, proceeding via The Mall, Whitehall, Parliament Street and Parliament Square.

It's at Westminster Abbey that Charles and Camilla will be crowned and enthroned. The service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, in the presence of approximately 2,000 guests.

After the formalities, Charles and Camilla will leave Westminster Abbey as king and queen, travelling in the Gold State Coach as part of an even larger Coronation Procession. Harry is attending but Megan will be back in California, celebrating Archie's fourth birthday. No doubt she'll watch the Coronation on TV, like the the rest of us.

Read on for more details of how to watch the Coronation of King Charles free online and on TV today from wherever you are.

What time does the Coronation start?

Here is a list of the global start times for the coronation of King Charles III today:

  • London, UK – 11am BST
  • New York, US – 6am ET
  • Los Angeles, US – 3am PT
  • Canberra, Australia – 8pm AEST
  • Auckland, NZ – 10pm NZST
  • New Delhi, India – 3.30pm IST
  • Tokyo, Japan – 7pm JST

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How to watch the Coronation free online in the UK

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Many of the UK's major broadcasters have confirmed that they will broadcast King Charles' coronation live and for free on Saturday, May 6. The ceremony will begin at 11am BST today.

BBC One and iPlayer

The BBC will air coverage from 7.30am BST until 3pm BST across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News and BBC iPlayer (accessible coverage will be available through the Red Button).

The BBC has also suspended the licence fee just for coronation weekend. Use our top-rated VPN to watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere.

ITV and ITVX

ITV will broadcast King Charles' coronation on ITV1 and on ITVX from 8.30am until 3pm.

Sky News and Sky.com

King Charles' coronation will also be free to watch on Sky News, the Sky News app, YouTube and on Freeview, with dedication coverage running from 9am until 5pm. 

How to watch the Coronation from outside your country

While King Charles' coronation will be on all kinds of TV networks, UK citizens currently abroad may still wish to watch the official BBC coverage instead. To do this, you'll need to use a VPN to avoid being geo-blocked. That's where the broadcasters prevent people abroad from watching their TV feeds.

A VPN is software for your computer or smart device, which allows you to stream as if you were in any location, in this case, the UK. There are many VPN providers out there. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service. We rate ExpressVPN as the best.

Use a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere:

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN
We've put all of the major VPN services to the test and we rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best of the bunch. It's compatible with loads of devices including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire Stick, PlayStation, Apple TV and such, and we found it secure, speedy and simple-to-use. 

Another great perk is the fact that it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and 3-months FREE, so you can see if it's right for you with no strings attached.

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Once you've downloaded the software, just follow the prompts to install it then select the location you want to relocate your IP address to - it really is that easy.

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location, eg: 'UK' for iPlayer.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - BBC iPlayer for UK citizens abroad.

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How to watch King Charles' coronation for free in the US without cable

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US fans can watch the Coronation live stream free on The Royal Family Channel on YouTube today (yes, even the Royal Family has their own YouTube Channel).

If you're planning to tune in from the US, you'll need to be prepared to lose a lot of sleep, as official proceedings begin at 6am ET / 3am PT in the early hours of this morning.

ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC and BBC America are also providing live coverage of King Charles' coronation, with live coverage starting at 5am ET / 2am PT across all six channels.

More ways to watch King Charles' coronation in the US without cable:

If you don't have cable, don't worry.

Comprehensive over-the-top streaming service FuboTV carries ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC as part of its line-up of more than 100 channels, and is priced from $74.99 a month.

It's easy to sign up, and can be cancelled no questions asked. But best of all, it offers a FREE 7-day FuboTV trial, so you can see if it's right for you before parting with your money.

CNN and BBC America, meanwhile, are available via OTT streaming service Sling TV. A subscription normally costs $40 a month, but if you're new to the service you can get your first month half-price.

Remember: Brits visiting the States can tune into the official BBC iPlayer coverage free with a VPN. 

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How to watch the King's Coronation for free in Australia

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King Charles' coronation starts at 8pm AEST this evening, and free live coverage is being provided by Channel 7, Network 10 and ABC TV in Australia.

Channel 7's coverage runs from 4pm until 11.30pm, and can also be live streamed for free on the 7Plus streaming service.  

Network 10's coverage runs from 6pm until 11.30pm, and can also be live streamed for free on 10Play.

ABC TV's coverage runs from 7.30pm until 11pm, and can also be live streamed for free on the ABC iview streaming service.

Use a VPN to access Australian coverage when travelling outside of Australia.

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How to watch Coronation streams free in Canada 

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In Canada, CBC will be broadcasting King Charles' coronation live, which means the event will also be streamed live and for free on CBC Gem.

You can pay $4.99 per month for ad-free access to CBC Gem's on-demand library, but if you don't mind sitting through commercials you don't need to pay a thing.

Away from Canada, but want to watch? You can subscribe to a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and access your preferred streaming service.

New Zealand flag

How to watch Coronation streams for free in New Zealand 

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In New Zealand, TVNZ 1 is the place to watch King Charles' coronation, which means it's also being live streamed for free on the TVNZ Plus streaming platform.

The ceremony begins at 10pm NZST on today, while live coverage starts at 8.05pm.

Outside New Zealand? Remember that Kiwis abroad can use a VPN to tune into TVNZ Plus from anywhere.

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How to watch the Coronation for free in India

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It isn't clear if King Charles' coronation will be covered by any major broadcasters in India at the time of writing, but seeing as the event will be live streamed by The Royal Family Channel on YouTube, it'll be easy to tune in regardless.

The event is set to begin at 3.30pm IST this afternoon.

YouTube is, of course, completely free to watch and compatible with pretty much any internet-connected device out there. 

If, for any reason, you find yourself unable to watch, a VPN will help you get around any georestrictions.

Watch the Coronation: timetable of events

The full timetable of events for the Coronation weekend is as follows. All times are in BST:

Saturday, May 6

7:30am: Live TV coverage begins on BBC
10:20am: Royal procession begins
11.00am: Coronation ceremony starts
1.00pm: Coronation procession returns to Buckingham Palace
1.45pm: Royal Salute
2.15pm: Balcony wave and flypast

Sunday, May 7

8.00pm: The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle begins

How can I watch and listen to BBC coverage of the Coronation?

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place today, Saturday 6th May 2023, with coverage starting at 7:30am. Coverage will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with a signed version on BBC Two.

Radio coverage will simulcast across BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, 5 Live, BBC World Service and BBC Sounds in the UK. Radio 4 coverage begins at 10am and Radio 3 will be broadcasting from 8:50am, live from Westminster Abbey.

Outside the UK? Use our No.1-rated VPN to unblock BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds from anywhere in the world.  

How can I watch The Coronation Concert?

The Coronation Concert will be broadcast from 8pm on Sunday May 7, 2023.

Who is performing at the Coronation concert?

Katy Perry will be joined by British pop group Take That, international superstar Lionel Richie, opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer/songwriter Freya Ridings, classical-soul composer/producer Alexis Ffrench, singer-songwriters Paloma Faith and Tiwa Savage, rock ‘n’ roll legend Steve Winwood, renowned classical pianist Lang Lang and pop star Nicole Scherzinger. Olly Murs, Pete Tong and Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor will also be part of the concert.

Aatif Sulleyman
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.