King Charles III's coronation anniversary is marked by ceremonial gun salutes across London
King Charles III's coronation anniversary has been marked in London under soggy skies with ceremonial gunfire
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ceremonial gun salutes rang out across London under soggy skies Monday to mark the anniversary of the coronation of King Charles III.
Smoke blasted from the barrels of six large horse-drawn guns in a 41-gun salute in Green Park, next to Buckingham Palace, at noon. An hour later, three guns cracked off a 62-shot salute from Tower Wharf next to the River Thames.
Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, in a glitzy spectacle that echoed medieval times as he was anointed as monarch following the September 2022 death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The past year has been overshadowed by his cancer diagnosis, but it has helped to humanize him and connect him with the British people, who haven't always expected such openness from the royal family.
Rohan Wadke, a visitor to Buckingham Palace, applauded Charles for confiding in the public about his health issues.
“It’s still a taboo for a lot of people," Wadke said.
Charles, 75, returned to public-facing duties last week with a visit to a cancer-care center, where he held hands with a patient receiving chemotherapy drugs and told her he was due for treatment that afternoon.
Despite rainfall reminiscent of last year's coronation, visitors still turned out to watch the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, with gunners in their gold braided jackets, fire off the salute as the Band of the Irish Guards played music in the park next to the palace.
Manda Pillay-Maloney said that she visited the palace Monday — a holiday in the U.K. — to recognize the year since Charles was crowned.
“Excited, happy to be here," Pillay-Maloney said. “It’s my first stop since I’ve arrived from Stevenage, just to ... pay my respects and say, hey, thank you ... you’re doing a good job.”