Celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III at the Old Royal Naval College

Celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III this May at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. The Coronation will be on Saturday 6th May, with celebratory events taking place over the weekend, including the Bank Holiday Monday.

The Old Royal Naval College’s expansive riverside grounds will come alive with music, lawn games, a Street Food market and bars serving Pimms and Prosecco. There will be a range of events on site all weekend, including the Big Lunch and Big Help Out, Royal Tours, a parade by the Sea Cadets with their marching band, King’s Afternoon Teas and more. This historic London landmark has a rich royal history, and is the perfect place to gather with friends and family over the Coronation weekend to celebrate.

Events during the coronation of King Charles III

On Sunday 7th May, the Old Royal Naval College will participate in the nation-wide Big Lunch, the perfect spot for locals to head with their friends and families with a picnic to be part of Britain’s celebrations with food and fun. The Big Help Out on Monday 8th May will highlight the positive impact volunteering has in communities across the country, in tribute to His Majesty’s own public service. The Old Royal Naval College will celebrate their own volunteers, who help guide visitors on site, and the London Area Sea Cadets. 500 Sea Cadets and their marching band, as well as Army Cadet Force, RAF Air Cadets, Volunteer Police Cadets, St Johns Ambulance, the Fire Cadets and Scouts, all from London, will hold a parade in Lower Grand Square at 1pm. The Old Royal Naval staff and volunteer choir will perform at 11.30am.

Members of Cray Valley Radio Society, based in Eltham, will establish a world-class flagship radio station in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, endorsed by the Radio Society of Great Britain. The radio station will be capable of worldwide communication, and they will make shortwave radio contacts with thousands of radio operators around the world, sharing the Coronation celebrations with the Commonwealth and further afield. Two impressive radio masts of 80 metres and 40 metres will be erected in the grounds, making the radio station possible. Visitors will be invited to take the microphone and speak with people from around the world, with the aim of making 14,000 contacts between 4th – 8th May.

The site’s magnificent Painted Hall, a Baroque masterpiece, will be open Late on Friday 5th May, from 6-9pm. A community ticket will allow locals entry to the Late for just £5, and visitors can enjoy food and drink from the Undercroft Café and Bar, browse the Painted Hall shop, and find out more about the Painted Hall from the guides.

Outside on 6th May, the Comedy Royal Guards will entertain with cheeky banter and razor-sharp wit, coupled with their lavish red coats and iconic bearskin-style hats.

The coronation of Kings Charles III celebrations will carry onto the Bank Holiday Monday

On Sunday 7th May, there will be King’s Afternoon Teas in Admiral’s House, which is rarely open to the public, for a special and exclusive way to celebrate the Coronation.

Visitors to the Old Royal Naval College can enjoy a Royal Tour over the Coronation of King Charles III. The weekend, taking in all the places around the site where the late Queen visited, as well as other members of the Royal Family such as Princess Anne, stretching all the way back to when the site was the home of a Tudor Palace. Discover where Elizabeth I held the famous Frost Fairs, where Henry VIII was born, and more. The Royal Tours, every day at 12pm and 3pm, will also highlight the many portrayals of Royals that have been filmed at Greenwich, such as The King’s Speech and The Crown.

There is something for everyone at the Old Royal Naval College over the Coronation weekend, with celebrations galore across the beautiful riverside site and its Christopher Wren-designed buildings. Bring the family, or meet up with friends and head to the lawns, with views of the city and the Thames. Bring your own picnic or try food and drink from the Street Food market, the Undercroft Café beneath the Painted Hall and the Old Brewery pub, enjoy the live music, take in the views and have a fun celebratory weekend!

Old Royal Naval College

Old Royal Naval College is the centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a long and celebrated 500-year-old history. Today this must-see London landmark is a popular visitor attraction and is home to epic art installations, fashion shows, a world-famous film and TV location as well as home to the magnificent Painted Hall, one of the finest Baroque interiors in Europe. Visitors can discover Tudor archaeological finds, enjoy award-winning tours, and explore the Christopher Wren-designed buildings and beautiful riverside grounds.

The buildings and grounds of the site are where great stories unfold from kings and queens to heroic lives and creative geniuses, from Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I to Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. It was originally home to the Tudor-era Greenwich Palace, the favoured Royal residence of Henry VIII. In the late 17th century, Queen Mary II commissioned the Royal Hospital for Seamen to replace the Palace, housing injured and retired sailors from the Royal Navy.

The site was designed by one of England’s greatest architects, Sir Christopher Wren. In 2023, the Old Royal Naval College is participating in Wren 300, a year-long celebration of Sir Christopher Wren on the tercentenary of his death, with events including tours, exhibitions and more. One of his great designs, the magnificent Painted Hall, was later painted by Sir James Thornhill 1707-1726 and has been referred to as ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’.

The rich maritime history of the site continued, as it was converted to be the Royal Naval College from 1873, training naval officers for over a hundred years including the first female members of the Royal Navy in the 1940s, known as the WRENs.

After the Naval College moved, an independent charity was established in 1997 called the Greenwich Foundation to conserve the magnificent baroque buildings and grounds of the Old Royal Naval College. The charity, now in its 26th year, relies on funding, donations, ticket sales and retail income to ensure that this national treasure remains in the best possible condition for the enjoyment of all.

In 2019 the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College won Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year at the Museum + Heritage Awards 2019, following a major conservation project spearheaded by the Greenwich Foundation and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. In 2020, the Old Royal Naval College won Gold for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, and in 2021 it won Tiqets Best Museum of the Year, UK & Ireland. In 2022, Old Royal Naval College received the Sandford Award for its exceptional education programme and in 2023 won the Best Guided Tour award at the London For Groups Awards.