It’s three minutes past midday and a downpour of rain has been steadily eroding the festive atmosphere at Westminster Abbey for the past three hours.
Suddenly, the increasingly irritable mood weaving through the hundreds of thousands of royal fans crowding the area evaporates as a piercing voice cuts through the noise with just four words.
“God Save the King!”
It’s been 74 years in the making, and after braving the grim forecast and cramped conditions behind barricades across central London for endless hours on this rainy Saturday, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived.
Charles has been crowned King.
As the historic act unfolds mere metres away, unseen to all of us waiting outside, the public – exhausted and fidgety just seconds earlier – enthusiastically picks up the cry, shouting it up and down the streets of Westminster.
It’s followed by a celebratory chorus of the national anthem and a deafening roar of cheers and applause.
It’s finally the day of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation, and as hundreds of millions of people tune in to observe this small section of London, I am smack bang at the centre of it.
With dozens of dignitaries, a smattering of celebrities (hello, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Dame Judi Dench!), international monarchs, plus, of course, the British royal family, the global TV broadcast has had plenty to keep its audience captivated.
Just outside the famous Abbey, however, is a massive crowd made up of both Brits and visiting tourists who have camped out to become part of history.
Being among them as the action unfolded meant I had a front-row seat to everything that wasn’t caught by the masses of TV cameras – and it was an experience that I won’t ever forget.
Having been on the ground at the very same spot for the late Queen’s funeral in September, I knew it wasn’t worth taking any chances when it came to getting down there early.
Given the Queen’s overwhelming popularity and the outpouring of grief when she died – plus Saturday’s rainy forecast – I was stunned to discover an even larger crowd pouring into designated areas along The Mall outside Buckingham Palace and down towards Westminster well before the sun was even up.
London abuzz well before dawn
The entire processional route was completely packed and alive with activity by 4am, as keen royal fans, decked out in their best British-themed costumes, settled in for the long haul and a number of loudly buzzing helicopters regularly circled overhead.
Thousands of security personnel, police officers, and members of the armed forces created a ring of steel around the designated path, with plenty more patrolling the streets – some in hi-vis vests and uniforms, others weaving through the crowds undercover.
Huge metal and wooden barricades blocked off streets that had been open just a day earlier, occasionally creating a stressful environment for getting to where one needed to be.
I’d set out from my nearby hotel at 4am on the dot, and quickly realised nabbing a decent spot was going to require some serious wrangling.
As a pastel sunrise lit up the sky around Wesminster just after 5am, I was firmly in place in one of the closest public spots to the Abbey itself, completely unable to leave without forfeiting my prime location. Minute by minute, extra bodies piled in behind me, and within an hour, it was at least 10 people deep.
And there were still five long hours to go.
Royal fans all decked out
The basic setup of the coronation crowd may have looked almost identical to that of the Queen’s funeral last September, but there was one major difference: the costumes.
More than seven months on from the day the nation sombrely united in its grief, punters were now going all out in celebration of the historic and deeply British event.
It was a sea of Union Jacks. Clothes, hats and accessories completely covered in the iconic flag, with themed Oodies clearly the must-have item of this particular royal event.
Others were dressed to the nines in full garden party-esque ensembles – cocktail dresses, fancy headwear and elaborate hairstyles.
Excited cheers
The lengthy lulls in activity were worsened as the rain set in hours before the ceremony was set to get underway, as people stood shoulder-to-shoulder with nowhere to sit and nothing to do but wait.
Despite their discomfort, a sense of national pride was thick in the air.
Members of the armed forces and Metropolitan Police intermittently marched past in packs, eliciting huge cheers each time.
Occasionally, a lone voice would randomly shout: “God Save the King!” sparking echoes throughout the crowd, and sometimes – for no clear reason – a Mexican wave.
The main event: the royal extravaganza
Finally, just after 10am, an excited buzz began to roll through the crowd, as eager fans checking their phone in the patchy reception got word that Charles and Camilla had been sighted leaving Buckingham Palace and were on their way.
The mood elevated from lacklustre exhaustion to a borderline chaotic energy as everyone immediately surged forward in anticipation of the big arrival.
When the moment came, it was as much of a spectacle as we could have hoped for: the royal couple, dressed in crisp white and travelling in the gloriously regal Diamond Jubilee State Coach, waving to the hundreds of thousands of fans copping endless rain to greet them.
With no screens to view the proceedings within the ceremony, the action died down for a brief period, until the moment of crowning was heralded by the call of “God Save the King!” and excitement ramped back up.
But it was the return journey to Buckingham Palace everyone had really come to see.
I’ve been on royal tours and, as mentioned, I was in the midst of the Westminster crowd on the day of the Queen’s funeral, so I’ve grown pretty accustomed to the buzz that surrounds a significant royal sighting and figured I was largely prepared for another one.
Let me tell you something: whack in a couple of majestic and historic carriages and all the top-tier royals, and we’ve got a whole different ball game.
Punters, by this point absolutely soaked by the relentless rain and completely drained by the lengthy wait, were shrieking with excitement as they were presented with the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
The King and Queen, surrounded by a procession of thousands and travelling in the glorious Gold State Coach, waved right out the window to us all.
Moments later and, based on the crowd’s response, arguably the main event rolled by in the form of Prince William, Kate, Princess of Wales, and their three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and little Prince Louis, 5.
The wildly popular family smiled and shared waves with excited royal fans lining both sides of the street, as they travelled past in their coronation finest.
“It’s Kate, did you see her? She’s so beautiful! Look at her!” I heard women around me gasping, as others gushed over the impeccably-presented young Princess Charlotte: “Did you see her little wave?”
Throw in another carriage of family members – this one packed with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex – plus the very well-liked Princess Anne on horseback, and you’ve got yourself the cream of the crop of royal sightings.
The Harry chatter
Look, Prince Harry cut a lonely figure as he slipped into the UK on his own on the eve of the coronation, and quietly took his place in the Abbey’s distant third row to offer his support to his dad on the big day.
Kudos to him, and I’d even add extra credit for appearing to really try not to pull focus on this occasion.
So it must be noted that, while basically everyone around me was talking endlessly about him (and Meghan Markle) in the hours we were all crammed together, it was objectively not his fault.
But let me tell you: without even trying, in the gaps between the major royal sightings, he was easily the hottest topic of the day.
Getting out of there
Life is a journey of swings and roundabouts, and the significance of being present to witness such a historic event is enough to overcome all of the day’s most gruelling moments.
(We’re talking no access to bathrooms, supplies, shelter from the rain – you get my drift.)
But after experiencing the pure chaos that was trying to leave Westminster amid a completely confused set of directives from police back in September, I’d been optimistic that the small issue of thousands of people being trapped in one area with no exit would have been ironed out by a second, similar event just months later.
Team, bad news on that front.
However, given we’re now a hot shower, meal, and coffee after the fact, I can still confirm it was completely worth it.