Archive photos of King Charles as a child at his mother's Coronation

The coronation of King Charles III will be the nation's first in 70 years. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952 and was crowned the following year, on 2 June 1953.

At the time, the then Prince Charles was just 4 years old and was deemed old enough to attend the official coronation ceremony of his mother. The young Prince even received his own hand-painted invitation to the event. His younger sister Princess Anne, however, was just two years old at the time and was too young to join her brother for the ceremony.

Ahead of The King's coronation on 6 May 2023, we're taking a look back at some of His Majesty's best moments from his mother's Coronation Day. The then Prince Charles was sat between his grandmother, The Queen Mother, and his aunt, Princess Margret, for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The pair kept an eye on him throughout the event, as (judging by some of his expressions) it wasn't the most exciting event for a young boy to attend!

The outfit The King wore for his mother's Coronation was later put on public display, as part of a number of coronation anniversary events.

Here, we showcase some of the sweetest moments from the young Prince at his mother's coronation. Track the historic day through these archive photographs, as King Charles III prepares to be crowned at his own Coronation this month.