Street party planned in Castletown to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III

PLANS are being made for a street party in Castletown to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III next month.

The street party is due to be held on Sunday, May 7 – the day after the coronation at Westminster Abbey in London – so people can get an opportunity to watch the ceremony on television. It is understood that a coronation display is also being planned at the Castlehill Heritage Centre on the outskirts of the village.

Castletown and District Community Council secretary, Liz Geddes, outlined the proposals at the most recent meeting and said: "The street party will be similar to the one held for the (late Queen's) platinum jubilee last year but on a smaller scale."

The plans were welcomed by the community councillors and Thurso and Northwest Caithness Highland councillor, Ron Gunn. He said: "It is good to hear that, as the jubilee event in Castletown was really good."

Colin Hossack, the vice-chairman of the community council, agreed and said: "The platinum jubilee was a great success and a good day."

It was stated that similar celebrations are being planned in other parts of Caithness, including Thurso and Halkirk.

The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, who was monarch for 70 years.

The coronation is to undergo some alterations to represent multiple faiths, cultures, and communities across the United Kingdom, and will be shorter than Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.

Camilla will be crowned in a short and simple ceremony. Afterwards, the royal family will travel to Buckingham Palace in a state procession and appear on the balcony to celebrate the occasion.

It will be the first coronation of a British monarch to occur in the 21st century, and the 40th to be held at Westminster Abbey since 1066.

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