Pubs, clubs and bars in England and Wales could be allowed to open for longer to celebrate the King’s coronation.

The government has said it will consult on extending licensing hours from 11pm until 1am on 5, 6, and 7 May across the Bank Holiday weekend.

The Home Office said the move will provide “an opportunity for our communities to come together and celebrate this historic moment, and support our hospitality industry”.

Laws allow the hours to be extended to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “His Majesty the King’s coronation will be a historic moment that will see our great nation and the entire Commonwealth joined together in celebration.

“Our country, and in particular our hospitality industry, has faced many challenges in recent years and the King’s coronation is an opportunity to give a boost to our local businesses, and celebrate with our local communities.

“Over the Bank Holiday weekend we can raise a glass to our new monarch, and with our friends and families wish him a long and successful reign.”

Like his mother, the King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of faith leaders, peers, MPs, and foreign heads of state.

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Timings for the coronation have not been revealed, but it is likely King Charles will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey with Queen Consort Camilla in the gold state coach, which is reserved for coronations and jubilees.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on television, but the number of guests attending in person is expected to be cut from 8,000 to 2,000 and the ceremony is likely to last just over an hour

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Buckingham Palace has previously said: “The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and .look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”

Experts have speculated that the current cost of living crisis and the King’s desire for a slimmed down monarchy are behind the decision for a more muted ceremony.

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