An audience of 20 million UK viewers watched the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, according to British press, including The Guardian.
As viewers tuned in to witness the passing of the royal baton to King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Westminster Abbey ceremony, BBC received the highest audience for the program as 15.5 million total viewers watched Huw Edwards’ coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
ITV had the second most watched broadcast with 3.6 million viewers while Sky’s coverage reached 800,000 viewers on both Sky News and Sky Showcase, according to British press. Channel 4, which aired “Johnny English Strikes Again,” in turn brought 138,000 viewers at the same time as Saturday’s ceremony.
Notably, the ceremony, which was attended by notable American and British figures alike, drew in a smaller crowd than the audience of 29 million viewers who watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, marking a 31% decrease in viewership when compared to the funeral.
The current figures do not include viewership across livestreams on BBC’s streaming platform or YouTube. The ceremony was live-streamed on the Royal Family’s YouTube channel as well as CNN.com. In the U.S., ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News streamed the event via their online affiliates, including as NBCU’s E! Online.
British press also notes that poor weather in the UK might have boosted viewing figures as outdoor viewing parties were less attended due to weather constraints.
Among 2,000 guests invited to the royal coronation were British royalty Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton, while other celebrities and notable figures included Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Dame Emma Thompson, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and Jill and Finnegan Biden, who attended on behalf of President Joe Biden. The subsequent coronation concert, which took place on Saturday evening, featured performances by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
