Special announcement from King Charles III and Queen Camilla to welcome rail passengers

Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla have recorded a unique announcement to mark the Coronation weekend which will be played at railway stations across the country, as well as all London Underground stations across the capital, between Friday 5th and Monday 8th May 2023.

The special message, recorded for the rail industry and Transport for London, includes The King announcing the world-famous reminder to 'mind the gap'.

The announcement will be heard by everyone travelling by train or tube to celebrate the Coronation weekend across the country. Their Majesties will be sending their best wishes to passengers "wherever you are travelling", with the announcement set to be played in all 2,570 railway stations across the United Kingdom.

The message was recorded by Their Majesties at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London. The words of the message are as follows:

The King: My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful Coronation Weekend.

The Queen Consort: Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

The King: And remember, please mind the gap.

If you're travelling this weekend, keep an ear open for these familiar voices- and enjoy your journey during this historic weekend.

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at Rail Delivery Group, said:

'The Coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message. It's wonderful that Their Majesties are including rail passengers as part of this historic moment.'

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said:

'Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the Coronation and it's fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.'

Andy Lord, London's Transport Commissioner, said:

'With less than one day to go before the Coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe. We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.'

Travel advice for passengers

Public transport will be the best way of travelling around during the historic weekend but some services and stations are expected to be busy and queueing systems may be in place in some areas. Passengers should plan their journey in advance, allow extra time and check live updates while travelling.

Ticketholders travelling to the Coronation Concert at Windsor on Sunday, 7 May are advised to plan their journey to and from the concert in advance.

For more information on travelling over the Coronation weekend, visit https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/coronation/.

For those passengers who are traveling to London, please check https://tfl.gov.uk/coronation