The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

King Charles III and Camilla have stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, in one of the most eagerly anticipated moments of the day.

A throng of flag-waving royalists cheered as they emerged from inside the Palace, ready to watch a slimmed-down flypast by the Royal Air Force.

The first-recorded royal balcony appearance was in 1851, when Queen Victoria greeted supporters during celebrations to mark the opening of the Great Exhibition.

Since then it has become a flagship part of royal events, with pictures usually appearing on front pages the next day.

As the Gold State Coach headed back to Buckingham Palace, the atmosphere along the Mall was electric. Thousands lined the route to catch a glimpse of the new King — and the rain was not ruining anyone's fun.

Amongst the chatting and chanting were Emma Bond, 42, and Hannah Chambers, also 42, huddled under an umbrella, eagerly awaiting the customary Buckingham Palace balcony appearance:

They arrived this morning from outside London, and have previously joined the crowds for other royal events, including Princess Diana's funeral and a few royal weddings.

"My favourite royal is Kate, she is so classy and everything you expect from British royalty — and the kids, we love prince George," they told CNN.

Witnessing history and waiting in hope are sisters-in-law Jane Monk and Cindy Sharville, from North London: "The atmosphere is very positive and the weather is very British. All you can do is wear your hat, you bring your brolly and have a glass of wine."

"The Queen was such a tough act to follow — but Charles will do a great job," they added.

Once the royal couple was back inside Buckingham Palace, the public was permitted to stream forward toward the royal residence ahead of the flypast and balcony moment.

A flypast over Buckingham Palace to celebrate King Charles III's coronation has been slimmed down due to poor weather in London, according to Britain's PA Media.

It will now be formed only of helicopters and the Red Arrows display team, the Ministry of Defence said.

The event will now last two and a half minutes, down from six.

It was initially intended to include modern F-35s and Typhoons, and the Battle of Britain memorial flight – a display group that usually includes Spitfires, Hurricane fighters and Lancaster bombers.

King Charles and Queen Camilla received a Royal Salute and three cheers from military personnel as they returned to Buckingham Palace.

The national anthem then again rang out in the Buckingham Palace garden.

It follows a lengthy and vast procession from the Abbey that featured 4,000 people and 19 military bands.

Camilla was crowned as Britain’s new Queen at Westminster Abbey, taking on a new and more prominent role alongside King Charles III.

She was ever-present at Charles’ side as he publicly grieved his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and stepped into his new role. She is the love of his life, as well as a decades-long counselor and confidante.

Since she and Charles married in 2005, Camilla has worked hard as a senior royal, supporting her husband and championing charities helping women and children. But some in Britain find it hard to forget, or forgive, the couple’s long-running extra-marital affair and the pain it caused Charles’ first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Still, with her common touch and ability to dissipate the tension in a room, Camilla quickly became an asset to the royal family and the British government after she married Charles in 2005.

She defined her own royal role, championing causes close to her heart, such as children’s literacy, supporting victims of domestic violence and raising awareness around osteoporosis, a condition that affected her mother and grandmother.

As well as these responsibilities, Camilla has also become a “professional grandmother,” as one of her aides told CNN in 2013.

So, what can we expect from Britain’s new Queen? You can find out here.

The atmosphere was festive and full of joy as punters in the Phoenix pub in Chelsea watched King Charles' coronation on TV Saturday.

The room was abuzz with excitement as drinkers watched the new monarch's big moment.

As St. Edward's Crown was placed on the sovereign's head, there were a few cheers of "God Save the King."

No one at the Chelsea establishment joined in on one controversial new element of the ritual -- the homage of the people -- by pledging allegiance to the King.

U.S. first lady Jill Biden tweeted that it was an "honor" for her to represent the United States at the King's coronation on Saturday.

"It’s an honor to represent the United States on this historic day at Westminster Abbey," she added.

This procession is the moment that many royal supporters have waited all day for -- the King and Queen, followed by a huge parade of soldiers, musicians and horses, are passing by cheering crowds on their way to Buckingham Palace.

The Gold State Coach that carries the monarch and his wife is incredibly heavy -- weighing 4 tons -- meaning that it can only travel at walking pace.

Ahead of the celebrations, Sally Goodsir, the Royal Collection Trust’s curator of decorative arts, said: “It is nearly four meters tall. It’s over seven meters long. It weighs four tons. Because of that it can only be used at a walking pace, which really adds to the majesty and stateliness of this great royal procession."

"There are very few monarchies which have retained coaches working of this age, and therefore it’s an incredibly special thing to see," she added.

It’s covered in painted panels “that exemplify” what George III, who was monarch when the coach was built in 1762, believed he would bring to the nation. “Protecting the arts such as architecture and sculpture; protecting peace in this nation, there’s figures of Mars and Minerva, the classical gods of war, but they’re not at war, they’re actually holding the British Crown aloft. So, there’s lots of messages and symbolism,” Goodsir said.

While many royal fans are lining the streets of London and millions more are watching the coronation at home, some Brits are questioning spending money on such an opulent event as the cost of living crisis continues to grip the country.

Stubbornly high inflation, years of wage stagnation and the sudden and steep rise in energy prices have left millions of Brits on the brink of poverty. Yet at the same time, the UK government is getting ready to spend tens of millions of taxpayers’ money on a glitzy event celebrating one very, very rich man: King Charles III.

CNN visited Doncaster which, like many parts of Northern England, has never quite recovered from the industrial decline and mine closures of the 1980s and 90s. Already struggling, the region has been hit hard by the severe cost of living crisis that is now impacting the whole of the UK.

The government has refused to put a figure on the cost of the coronation, with estimates by British media ranging from £50 million to more than £100 million ($63 million to $125 million).

Across the country, meanwhile, real wages including bonuses fell 3% in the three months to February, according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s one of the largest falls since records began in 2001.

It’s a contrast which hasn’t been lost on these Brits.