The King is famously passionate about the arts, and the congregation reflects his close ties with creative communities in Britain and beyond.
Guests in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles III include the crowned heads of Europe and political leaders from across the globe—not to mention the hundreds of community and charity representatives recognized for their work and service with an invitation to witness the historic moment up close. But familiar faces from the entertainment world were also filing into the church—the scene of Charles’s mother Queen Elizabeth II’s own Coronation 70 years ago—on 6 May.
The King is famously passionate about the arts, and the congregation reflected his close ties with Britain’s creative communities. Dame Judi Dench, who was made OBE by the late Queen in 1970 and became a Dame in 1988, was seen taking her seat in the pews, as was Dame Emma Thompson, a longtime friend of Charles. The musician Nick Cave, meanwhile, walked into the royal church with Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Of course, members of the British royal family were also in attendance to witness the crowning of King Charles, including his youngest son, Prince Harry—who attended without the Duchess of Sussex—and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The Princess of Wales’s parents and siblings were spotted in the congregation, too.
See more familiar faces who were invited to the Coronation, below.
This article was originally published on British Vogue.