Additional holiday for the coronation of King Charles III. approved

Downing Street has said the bank holiday will fall on Monday 8 May Coronation at Westminster Abbey two days earlier on Saturday 6.

The bank holiday takes place across the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it will be an opportunity for families and communities to come together and celebrate similarly with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

The announcement follows calls by Tory MPs for the government to either move the early May bank holiday from May 1st to the Coronation weekend or declare an extra day off.

Sunak said: “The coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country.

“In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional UK-wide bank holiday next year.

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“I look forward to seeing people coming together to honor King Charles III. to celebrate and pay tribute to him by attending local and national events across the country in his honor.”

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said: “The coronation combines the sacred and the solemn, but it is also solemn.

“This bank holiday will provide another opportunity for people across the UK to come together as families and communities to welcome His Majesty to the Throne as we mark this important day in our nation’s long history.”