♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". kristin: i am christr and this is the context. >> you're going to see the british doing pageant like nobody else. so, what you will see, frankly will be jaw-dropping. >> william looked handsome and catherine is so much prettier in real life and -- than what we see on the tv. >> you have to be on the front row, don't you?

us.hance to be looking out for >> our history of heritage comes to life in britain but you have to come to britain to experience it. ♪ christian: a very good evening and welcome to the program. we are at buckingham palace tonight ahead of the big event on saturday. the coronation of king charles the iii and queen camilla. two people who were there in 1953, 1 of our guests sang at the christening of the king in 1948. and katty kay is at the forest -- abby forest where things are almost ready. where there is nothing left to chance on a big occasion like this. we will talk about what the

coronation is and isn't and the role that the king has played in the preparations. how the people and the common filth and dferent faiths will be included. and christine ross, joining us ahead of the big occasion. there will be taking part in bbc coverage. let us begin with what the royals have been doing today. you might just be ablto pick up the hind me a royal standard which is on top of the palace fluttering in the evening breeze. that tells you the king is in residence at buckingham palace. earlier today, he went back to the abbey for a walk through rehearsal. he returned to the palace where he is receiving visitors this afternoon. a picture of this stands out. this is to be copious and this is the chief of -- domingo and he flew from ecuador to present the king with a headrest. a crown of feathers is the

highest honor they can stowe. -- bestow. meanwhile, the prince and princess of took the new elizabeth line down to soho in central london and went to the pub. they paid a visit to the dog and duck. this is one of the oldest pubs in town. in support of a hospitality industry. it has had a hard time of late. while he was there, the print spent time pulling a pint, and he had a feeling that the plain people was a pint of teammate and is the first time the brewery put it on tap. that was the first pint they had bought. in open jacket and open shirt click -- a contrast to the formality we wilsee on saturday and the role the duke will play. there is the point that is pouring and he probably put down another pint of cider.

[laughter] so let's hear from someone who has spent many years working with the late queen elizabeth. former buckingham palace press secretary. lovely to see you again. you spent so much time in the building behind us. this is a momentous occasion, historic, leveled the mood be like among the royal staff right now? anchor: it's a long time since -- >> it is a long time since there has been a coronation since the reign of the queen. in that sense, i think it is an important moment. this huge ceremony has taken place for over 1000 years and represents continuity of the whole time except for the time of the civil war. the ceremony somehow being performed in the 21st century with a background that it has like that is something that is very exciting for people. i think a combination of history

was the fact that the coronation actually appoints and puts in place the footing for a new king who has all the constitutional duties and requirements to be the head of state of the united kingdom and the head of state of 15 other countries. and the commonwealth it is a important political constitutional mechanism. it is a colorful one and a very human one. it is a very human connection the golden red chain of a family who has been through all sorts of visages and trials with britain as a country. and this coronation is a great moment in that respect. christian: it ties us to our history and relations -- our nations. and we look around here today, the crowd, there is clearly a fascination with this. when he worked across the road,

you were there through the 90's, during the breakdown of three royal marriages. you were asked to take on responsibilities for the prince of wales as he was then. how do you assess the transition? it has been a slow transition to king particularly in the last few months? >> on the plus side what we have now a king who is the most well trained, and most broad-minded of people. very much a person of his generation, ahead of his time in some of his ideas on the environment and helping young people with medicine and architecture. and international relations. he is extremely -- he is an extraordinarily well king -- well-prepared king. and he is also representing the history and background and traditions of a country with so many -- so much to offer.

i think in that respect, it is a fascinating mixture of very traditional character as well as a cutting edge to a new r eign. thinking that is a modern man and the ceremony that is largely the same as 900 years ago, but tweaked and streamlined in each area. it changes. for me, what i really can touch on strongly is press secretary in the 1990's, a difficult time, is that the strength of the monarchy is that it is able to adapt and change and absorb difficulty and to make changes. in that sense, i did not think it was a crusty institution. christian: we will talk about some of thehanges even into

the 1953 coronation. but when you have people putting the focus on the royal family and its role in connection to the constitution. he must feel the pressure of that especially with an extravagant show of pomp and ceremony this week. amid a cost-of-living crisis. using he is sensitive? does he understand what people are going through around the country? >> i think the king has a very good feeling of what we think. a lot of his courses have been to do with young people -- causes have been to do with young people, jobs, health, mental and physical, and without people will live their lives. he has good experience in that respect. i think that is part of the strength in our monarchy. it is a mixture of great traditions of history, at the same time, he is being willing to change at the pace that works for people. christian: part of that is

descending down into the family. we saw pictures of the princess of wales playing there. they are clearly the future of the family. we will not see a prominent role for the junie family members of the we can. >> it will be a smaller monarchy. i think they king himself said a smaller monarchy probably makes sense in the modern age. it is so visible in the sense that it can be seen on every form of the platform of social media and in other ways. in fact, you can still make the same impact, but you do not necessarily have a large number of the royal family. and taking public duties. you may have to choose to do the public duties. for some members of the royal family, the intense scrutiny of the public life is not very appealing area i think it was easier in the queens reign. when there was a last 40 middle

media follow -- formidable media following every move. christian: when you say through the day with a visual society now with the age of instagram, tiktok, and sharing images of it there is probably more focus in 1953. >> a smaller family it is probably the -- the contemporary version will be good. they do have smaller royal families. and small populations. christian: we will talk about that we know you will stay with us for the evening. at the moment, thank you very much. let's talk about that she is down at the abbey. she is just coming back from a trip around europe. talking to some of the others and what do they make of putting on at the u.k. this weekend? kelly: it is interesting. no other royal family or a dozen in europe have a coronation ceremony anything like this. they have done away with ayers and they have done away with a

lot of the grand juror of the -- grantor of the pomp and circumstance which is probably what makes the british family interesting globally. and it also opens it up to the scrutiny that this coronation is getting [indiscernible [indiscernible] it is a cost-of-living crisis. -- visit is actually what the public wants. there are sirens going off behind me. the british royal family is pes headed a little more in the direction of european leaders. someone with me, who is a royal expert, writer, and through the -- wrote the most recent book camilla ousted from queen consort. what of -- with the coronation other european families have done away with it. is it in to the british to have

the ceremony? >> yes, it is. people like it because of the stability. it has gone on for generation after generation. stly, they do not want change, but king charles is wanting to make changes. and i think it is credibly important that there is no longer the peers, 40 peers come in and bow, they scrapped about out and instead he has got camilla's children and grandchildren involved. and little prince george. i think it then shows that -- kelly: you singled out camilla's children and grandchildren obviously they are her children from the first marriage. it is not a conventional royal family we may have known before. >> king charles has been very close to them. he has been, since they were born really, they have known each other so long.

they like him tremendously i went to a reception when they were chatting to him 19 to the dozen. they feel easy -- at ease. what happens today as there are so many divorces that you bring people in. i think it is great from him that he wants his entire family there. and that is important to him. i know the people representing other people, ordinary people, camilla is very much an ordinary person. when you go in and engagement with her she will ask if they can get ordinary people along. she likes to know what are the people are thinking about and what they want to do. kelly: there are of course hundreds of thousands of blended families in the united kingdom. this is another blended family we will see tomorrow. what do you think camilla and king charles are feeling on the eve, almost eve of the coronation? >> excited in nervous.

-- excited and nervous. they wanted to go well and they risk what sort of demonstrations there might be. and what might spoiit. i think they want to seal their relationship in a very special way. king charles is of course a devout christian. when he is blessed with -- some of it comes from outside of jerusalem and some of it comes from his grandfather prince philip's mother in greece. and he will mix it. he has an amazing screen grafted 150 sewers did for him. it has got all of the countries ong the commonwealth. he then goes behind that, he takes on -- off most of his clothes, he just has on a long shirt, and the oil is put on his head, on his breast, and on his hands. and that remains his -- that would mean that he is accepted

as a king. i would love to see that, but obviously, he wants to do private. he changes close four times during the ceremony. each one gets heavier than the next. one is made out of gold red. and with the crown in his -- gold thread. and with the crown on his head and a huge swath of clothing that is heavy around him. that is probably why they are doing a lot of rehearsals. i wondered why they need rehearsals. but if you see it you have to -- walk. the queen did a lot of rehearsals with her crown because she found it so incredibly uncomfortable. kelly: thank you i love your description of the anoting process because it is quite a medieval assessed. when you hear descriptions like that, you realize just how far this back and how sun country's hearing that, the oil comes from partly from greece and partly from outside jerusalem, he is dressed in a simple robe and changes his clothing four times,

it sounds almost made for cinema, not part of the real world. i guess that is part of the fact of why there is so many tourists and people watching this. why it has millions of viewers because it is slightly surreal. christian: yes. the head of the ceremony is next. and with the crown, there will be one of three crowns worn this weekend. it is 1.2 kilos. i could not work out how heavy that was in my wife called with -- this morning with two bags of flour of what that felt like and why you have to change crowns halfway through the recession. but there you are. kelly: can i say i won a few christian because i did not put two bags of flour on my head in preparation of this i tried on a crown recently and it is incredibly uncomfortable. christian: there you are kathy mixes with royalty and i do not that is why she has the best seat in the house. my seat is not bad bow. it's been a wonderful day with the some -- son out.

there are plenty of people still milling around. we have victoria's memorial and the kevin -- the camera positions they are underneath the black covers. protection from the rain which we expect over the next two days. to the left, there is the theater where the veterans of the nhs workers they will sit. they will have the best view in the house come 10:20 when the stagecoach leaves the palace gates. and many people have already pitched their tents. and others are casing out where they may stand on saturday. just in the foreground you look at the gorgeous tulips these were planted just before the late queen died. and standing to attention just at the right time looking absolutely glorious underneath the moon which has just come up. i can see it over there. we will go to a short break. around the world and across the u.k.. this is bbc news.

christian: hearing the u.k. let's look at other headline stories today. you came for -- ukraine president said put should be arrested for his criminal actions in ukraine. earlier moscow accused the u.s. and ukraine of attempting to assassinate the leader. that has been denied by kyiv and washington. an individual, stephen mccue, convicted of murder, admitted to drinking and taking drugs before getting behind the wheel. 22-year-old but rebecca died in a hospital after the crash. the polls are open and local elections across england vote on who run services in the local councils. and about 8000 seat at stake. this is the first time in england voters need to

valid photo id. sw abefore casting their ballo. you are live with bbc news we are at buckingham palace this evening ande have two very special guest with us this evening who both sang at the 1953 coronation. already who was a young boy back then in the -- choristers. and martin. he went on to be the master of chorus this -- choristers. it and with us to his left james wilkinson for 25 years he was a science corresponded for the bbc parish and he was a correspondent of the westminster school in 1953, now he is one of westminster abbey's coral students. ahead of this we have a history in this with the two of you. welcome. tell me what you remember, there would be some young boys who

would sit in the choir at westminster abbey this- woubt wo you remember ahead of the weaned coronation? >> a feeling as the queen walks through, that this is a piece of history. and the thrill of the westminster skull or shouting out from the top story, it is something you will never forget. you felt you were part of history. christian: and you have such historical memories that i believe recently when you met inking you were able to tell hi about his own christening. you were singing at his chriening. >> yes i had just joined the choir. and it just happened that the king was ill and they couldot go to winslow so the -- so they had the ceremony here at westminster -- buckingham palace.

christian: did you know each other at the time? >> know i was in the abbey choir and martin was in the chapel choir and we never met even though we were close to each other in the service. >> he was in the front row and i was in the second. christian: he had the best seat. ok. tell me what you remember. i know you were studying latin at the time when george vi died. how did you know that you were going to be playing a part in the coronation? >> there was a toll once every minute and the flag on victoria came down to half mast. and the headmaster came in and said the king died. we were all excited because we realize there would be new steps for the -- stamps and coins with the queen's on them. we were told that there would be a coronation but we did not know what it involved. but then we realize we would be singing in it.

we were pleased it set for the senior boys for the ones that had left the school by the time the coronation came up. it was 50 months after she acceded to the throne. christian: how much rehearsal? >> there was quite a bit in the weeks beforehand and there was quite a bit of new music to learn. and it was specially composed for the coronation and it was tricky for us because there is a lot of syncopation in it. and there was a king's coronation as well. and it was interesting because after the queens coronation the art treasurer of canterbury complained that it was too long and that everybody was waiting to go. and the music was going on and on. obviously it has not affected the planning for the next one. christian: what do you remember about the guests that came at that time? a lot of dukes and duchesses came, what do you remember? >> they all looked gorgeous.

it was wonderful and colorful. it was something that you will also see this time. there were a few crimson -- there may be a few crimson codes around the place but it was a remarkable site. we had to get to the abbey early. the doors oped at 6:00 and then they closed at 8:30 for a service that didot start until 11. and so it was a long wait. some had just gotten to their seats at -- in time they wanted to go down individually so people could admire them -- their finery. but it was a remarkable event. christian: the duke of devonshire had problems? >> he athe time was pageboy to his father. the previous duke. and he was, the duke had decided that he would arrive at the coronation in his coach.

they had that shipped down to london and he got one of his staff to dress up as the driver. he had the horses from his estate. the morning of the coronation they set out and as they got to the top of james street they met the other crowd who decided to come in his coach as well. so they both went down side-by-side. and he said this deeper it looks. and then the duke's driver got lost. he did not know london at all. the duke would not talk to him because he was on the box on the front of the coach. and he got to the abbey, the younger pageboy, the present duke who was remarking to them about 12 years old, he was wearing his special finery. and he had a sward. and when he got out of -- sword, and when he got out of the coach his sword caught on the lining of his father's mantle and ripped it. so his father got out of the

coach and had a bit of lining hanging down. the marshal had to dissipate problems like this and he had tay's standing by in the annex to make these repairs. christian: this is why people come in on the buses these days. they are all bust in. >> james bent the night, with the state -- [indiscernib] in the chapel on mattresses. i have to say, i think the behavior could have been better. there were pillow fights. christian: there were lose that were put out for all of the guests. i understand that the lou role was stolen. >> yes but then they were given back at the end of the time. christian: the stuart scott into the abbey and they had discovered that all of that have been locked in all of the toilets had been stolen. they had to sort that out and then the doors opened. we will go to a short break. and then we will hang around. i want to talk about the music

because the coronation is nothing without the fabulous music we will hear. there are 12 new pieces written for this coronation. we will hear about that and your expertise. do stay with us we will take a short break. we will be right back. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs.

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is pvided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planne brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo.