The coronation of Charles III, which took place on Saturday May 6 in London, was watched by more than 14 million viewers on BBC channels (BBC One, BBC Two and the platform BBC iPlayer), a figure suggesting a far lower overall audience than his mother Elizabeth II's coronation or funeral. An average of 13.4 million viewers – out of a population of 67 million, comparable to France – watched the event on BBC One and BBC Two. That number soared to more than 14 million by the time the crown was laid on the 74-year-old king's head, according to the BBC. The other British channels did not communicate their figures.
For the funeral of Elizabeth II last September, the event was followed on average by more than 26 million viewers with a peak at 28 million, including 18.5 million on the BBC. Her coronation in 1953 - the first on TV - was watched by 27 million people in the UK, according to Buckingham Palace, and Princess Diana's funeral by 32 million.
The special edition of France 2 in front of TF1
In France, the ceremony brought together nearly nine million viewers on average on TF1, France 2, M6 and the four news channels (BFM TV, CNews, LCI, franceinfo) which broadcast it live between noon and 2 p.m. an audience share of 70.6%, according to Médiamétrie data.
In detail, the special edition of France 2 was the most followed, with nearly 3.7 million people on average between 11:50 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. for a audience of 30.2%. TF1 federated more than 3.5 million viewers (27.5% of viewers) between 11:50 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 2.8 million (24.2% of viewers) between 2:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.