A recent report claims that King Charles III’s coronation has been scheduled.
The date of Charles’ coronation will be June 3 at Westminster Abbey in London, according to Bloomberg, which cited U.K. sources.
However, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told the Evening Standard that any reports on the coronation date are “pure speculation.”
Sources told the London newspaper that a date for the coronation had not been decided and added that any reporting of the date should be taken “with a massive pinch of salt.”
According to Bloomberg, anonymous government officials said that plans for the coronation have centered on June 3, though discussions are ongoing as to which other dates could be proclaimed official holidays.
As the king’s coronation is a state event, the date on which it takes place will be observed as a bank holiday. Since June 3 of next year falls on a Saturday, Friday, June 2 could potentially be proclaimed a bank holiday.
If the coronation is officially set for June 3, King Charles III’s ceremony will take place almost 70 years to the day after his mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953.
Coronations usually take place a year after the death of a monarch in order to allow for a period of mourning as well as to provide enough time for the planning that such a massive public event entails.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was delayed for 16 months after her father George VI’s unexpected death at the age of 56.
The late monarch was 25 at the time of her coronation while Charles was just four-years-old.
After the queen’s death on Sept. 8, Charles immediately ascended to the throne. He was officially proclaimed king by the Accession Council of the United Kingdom on Sept. 10.
King Charles III’s coronation is expected to be smaller, less expensive, and more modest than the elaborate ceremonies of his predecessors.
While Elizabeth’s coronation was attended by 8,000 guests, attendees of Charles’ ceremony will be limited to 2,000, due to safety and health concerns.
The monarch has also reportedly expressed a wish that the coronation is more inclusive of other faiths and communities to better reflect the nation’s diversity.
Due to the queen’s advanced age, preparations for the event have been underway for years, under the code name “Operation Golden Orb.”
Charles’ wife Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort at his coronation. At 74 years old, Charles will become the oldest person to be crowned in British history.