Royal flypast: Will London's weather let King Charles Coronation end on a high note?

A grand flypast that will conclude King Charles III's coronation on a truly high note on Saturday is facing the risk of being cancelled. According to the Royal Air Force (RAF), poor weather could rain on the parade, quite literally, but the final call will be made merely a few hours before the royal event starts.

Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston said the flypast has a “50/50” of happening as weather forecasters expect cloudy skies and wet spells in London on Saturday. “There are certain weather limits in terms of cloud base and visibility for a flypast involving a large number of aircraft which will need to be met. The latest weather information will be obtained from both the Met Office and from our helicopters performing weather checks in advance of the main flypast on Saturday," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, according to The Independent.

“If suitable, the flypast will continue as planned. If not, then there are options available to reduce the numbers of aircraft, with cancellation being the last resort. Clearly there are many things the MoD does control, but the weather is not one of them. Safety will always be our primary concern," the spokesperson added.

Here's the latest London outlook for the #CoronationWeekend pic.twitter.com/tZwAHMPHpq

— Met Office (@metoffice)

UK aircraft have today taken part in a rehearsal for the flypast of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

RAF Veteran, Sqn Ldr Terrance Davey Smith also attended the rehearsal, having taken part in the flypast for HM Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. pic.twitter.com/YY4UGRuCGX

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ)

Coronation weather: A sign from Diana? 

But if all goes well, London would witness a tri-service, six-minute flypast comprising 60 aircraft, including Typhoons, modern F-35s, and the Red Arrows. Cruising over The Mall and Buckingham Palace around 2:15 pm, it will mark the finale of the coronation and be observed by the newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla from the palace's balcony. 

For some, gloomy weather on Saturday seems like a spiritual sign from King Charles' ex-wife Princess Diana herself, who died in a car crash in 1997. “It’s a sign," said one person on social media, as another added, "Diana will have the last laugh." "The thought of Diana opening the heavens on Coronation makes me giddy,” said another.