The historic significance of the date chosen for King Charles III’s Coronation

King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury on May 6th 2023.

It will become one of the most important days in the history of the House of Windsor but the date already has its own special significance for the dynasty. For on that day, the man who would found one of the most famous royal houses of all took the throne.

George V became King on May 6th 1910. He succeeded his father, King Edward VII, who died at 11.45pm that day after a series of heart attacks.

At the time his royal rule started, the royal house was known as Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Edward VII had adopted the name on his accession – his father, Prince Albert, had belonged to that dynasty. However, in 1917, as the First World War raged, George V decided to drop the German name and take a far more English one.

On July 17th 1917, King George issued a royal proclamation changing his dynasty’s name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. It would go on to become one of the most famous royal houses in British history.

Now, 105 years after his accession, George’s great grandson has announced that his own Coronation will take place on May 6th 2023.

It is another chapter in the royal story of the House of Windsor.