Colchester marks King's coronation with 21-gun salute in Castle Park

A 21-gun salute was fired at 12.01pm, the moment Charles III was crowned King, and Colchester people turned out in their droves to celebrate the occasion.

As well as tourists and students, much of the crowd was made up of young families, with children wearing crowns and tiaras, and waving Union flags.

With the salute taking place from Lower Castle Park, the crowds watched on from Upper Castle Park in anticipation of the ceremony, which was performed by the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery – better known as the Airborne Gunners.

In all, 21 rounds were fired as people watched on in mild, overcast conditions before the crowds gradually dispersed.

To the disappointment of some, the afternoon was played out in the absence of a giant screen showing live events from Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Fay Keep, who brought along her seven-year-old son to watch the gun salute, said people might have stayed in Castle Park longer had there been a screening of the coronation service.

She said: “I would have liked there to be a screen – you did feel there was the gun salute, and that was it.

“I think if there was a screen people would have stayed a bit longer.”

Mrs Keep added, however, the atmosphere was upbeat and she was glad to have taken her family along to the event so her son would have a reason to remember the coronation.

She said: “I wanted to take them here to see it, because they'll remember this – they're not going to remember it from staying at home and watching it on the telly.”

With heavy rain showers moving in later in the afternoon, many took shelter close to the newly-refurbished bandstand as Colchester Pipes and Drums marched in to give renditions of Loch Lomond, Highland Cathedra, and Scotland the Brave.

Crowds also gathered on the A12 to witness the flypast at just before 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon, but with the weather worsening, the flypast was scaled down.