Fewer Britons tuned in to King Charles coronation than Queens

Fewer Britons tuned in to King Charles’ coronation than Queen’s funeral

LONDON (CNN) More than 20 million people in the UK tuned in to the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, but the ceremony drew far fewer British viewers than his mother’s funeral last year.

Average viewership for the two-hour service at Westminster Abbey – the main part of Saturday’s crowning ceremony – reached 18.8 million viewers, according to data from the UK Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (Barb).

The rainy day began with King Charles III. and Queen Camilla traveled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Watched by cheering and waving crowds, the couple rode in the six-horse Diamond Jubilee State Coach. The carriage was built in 2012 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

According to Barb, who analyzed viewership figures from 11 TV channels and services, viewership peaked at 20.4 million just after noon when the king received his crown.

The BBC took by far the largest share, with viewership on its channels BBC One and Two peaking at around 15 million, according to the UK public broadcaster.

However, according to British media reports, the total peak viewership was 9 million fewer than the number recorded for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, while BBC audiences fell by around 5 million from the 20 million BBC One used for the service in the turned on last September.

In 1953, more than 20 million people watched the late Queen’s coronation, according to estimates based on BBC polls at the time. Cameras were installed at Westminster Abbey for the first time to document this coronation, which the BBC has described as the first mass television event in Britain.

The coronation of Charles III. also underperformed when compared to his eldest son’s wedding in 2011. The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton reached a peak viewership of 20 million on the BBC at the end of the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, according to the broadcaster.

Scores of foreign dignitaries, British officials, celebrities and faith leaders gathered at the Abbey for Saturday’s coronation. Still, the 2,300-strong congregation was much smaller than it had been in 1953, when makeshift structures had to be erected to accommodate the more than 8,000 visitors.

After the service, 4,000 members of the armed forces, accompanied by 19 bands, took part in Britain’s largest military procession in 70 years, cheered on by thousands of onlookers.

Some anti-monarchy protesters turned out to protest Saturday’s coronation. London’s Metropolitan Police said they arrested a total of 64 people on Saturday for a variety of offenses including “conspiracy to cause public nuisance” and “trespassing”. Four of those arrested were charged with a criminal offence.

Republic, Britain’s largest anti-monarchy group, told CNN on Saturday that police arrested organizers of the protest without giving a reason. The group said in a tweet on Monday that the “protest was restricted to protect the King’s image” and called the arrests “an absolute disgrace”.

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— Duarte Mendonca contributed to the coverage.