Time to celebrate! Following King Charles III’s royal crowning on Saturday, May 6, the royal family gathered to commemorate the occasion at the official Coronation Big Lunch one day later.
Attended by Prince William, Princess Kate and more members of the royal family on Sunday, May 7, the event “aims to brings [sic] neighbours [sic] and communities together to celebrate the Coronation and share friendship, food and fun,” according to the Firm’s website.
The Prince of Wales, 40, and the Princess of Wales, 41, attended the luncheon on the grounds of Windsor Castle, hours before the Coronation Concert will kick off on the site. Other celebratory feasts were held across the United Kingdom.
The 74-year-old king’s brother Prince Edward and his wife, Duchess Sophie, for their part, attended a different Big Lunch in Cranleigh.
While the royals spread out at different iterations of the culinary event, they all munched on Charles’ signature dish, the Coronation Quiche. William — who shares three children with his wife — also couldn’t resist trying a can of “Return of the King” Coronation Ale, a specialty brew that featured his father’s face on the label.
The Big Lunch initiative was created by the Eden Project in 2009. Queen Camilla — who married Charles in 2005 and was also crowned on Saturday, May 6 — has been a patron of the organization since 2013 and has attended several Big Lunches in the U.K., Ghana and Barbados over the years. Big Lunches help raise funds for local charities through the purchase of Big Lunch packs, which include tips and tricks on how to host a meal for your friends, family and community.
The Coronation Big Lunches are one of the celebratory occasions to commemorate Charles and Camilla’s crowning.
Following the meal, festivities will continue with the monarch’s star-studded coronation concert on Sunday, May 7. Held on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, stars such as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, the British boy band Take That, Andrea Bocelli and more will take to the stage to mark the new king’s ascension to the throne.
Charles’ former sister-in-law, Sarah Ferguson, will be among the royals in attendance at the musical event. Last month, Us Weekly confirmed that the Duchess of York, 63, received a special “VIP” invitation to the show after not being invited to the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. (Ferguson was previously married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1992, and their divorce was finalized in 1996. They are parents of daughters Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 33.) Andrew, 63, and his two daughters attended the Abbey ceremony, sitting beside their siblings and cousins in the pews.
The coronation weekend will conclude on Monday, May 8, as members of the royal family will participate in the Big Help Out and volunteer in local U.K. communities to provide aid to those in need.
Scroll below to see photos from the Coronation Big Lunch:
