Britain celebrates with street parties, concert after King Charles' coronation

Neighbourhoods around Britain will hold street parties and King Charles will attend a concert featuring the likes of singers Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli at Windsor Castle on Sunday in celebrations to mark his coronation.

Amid scenes of pomp and pageantry, Charles and his wife Camilla were crowned at London's Westminster Abbey on Saturday in Britain's biggest ceremonial event for 70 years.

Charles and Camilla have not been seen since they appeared to cheering crowds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation, but senior members of the family were expected to be out in force on Sunday.

The king's younger brother Prince Edward, his sister Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Charles' other brother Prince Andrew, were due to attend "Big Lunch" events, joining some of the estimated 50,000 street parties being held around the country.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among those hosting a coronation lunch, with the guests including Ukrainian families and youth groups.

"Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the UK," he said in a statement.

Later, Charles and Camilla and other senior royals will join an audience of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests for the "Coronation Concert" at Windsor, the king's palace to the west of London.

Among those performing will be Take That, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage and pianist Lang Lang, while Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, British actor Joan Collins and Winnie the Pooh will also feature.

The event will also include a "Lighting up the Nation" with projections and laser displays illuminating landmarks and areas of natural beauty across the country.

Anti-monarchists criticise 'heavy-handed' arrests

However, not everyone celebrated the coronation, with anti-monarchists angered after being detained for hours on Saturday for planning to protest.

Police said they believed the protesters planned to disrupt the royal procession.

Amid questions over whether the police response had disproportionately curtailed the right to free speech, Culture Minister Lucy Frazer said that she believed the police had overall "managed to get that balance right."

Anti-monarchists on Sunday criticised the policing of the coronation of King Charles as heavy-handed, saying there was no longer a right to peaceful protest in Britain after dozens of protesters were arrested and detained into the night.

Police arrested Graham Smith, leader of the Republic group, and 51 others in central London as thousands of royal fans gathered in the capital for the event on Saturday, saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest.

Republic said that members began to be released late on Saturday evening after nearly 16 hours in custody.

"This was a heavy-handed action which had the appearance of a pre-determined arrest that would have occurred regardless of the evidence or our actions. The right to protest peacefully in the UK no longer exists," Smith said in a statement.

"These arrests were not about protecting people from harm, but about protecting the King from embarrassment."

- Reuters