A flypast to celebrate the King’s coronation is at risk of being cancelled due to poor weather.
Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston has said “it’s 50/50” as to whether the event will go ahead, and the final decision will be made just one or two hours before it is due to start.
Forecasters expect conditions in London to be cloudy and wet on Saturday, which could hamper the ability of pilots to fly safely.
More than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force – including the Red Arrows – are scheduled to fly over The Mall and Buckingham Palace at around 2.15pm.
The flypast is due to be visible in parts of Suffolk and Norfolk.
The flypast will begin in the North Sea from 1.15pm and be visible along the Norfolk coast.
From there, it will head to Suffolk from two directions, shown on a map published by Military Airshows.
This will include towns such as Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Southwold, Stowmarket and more.
It will then pass over Colchester and Chelmsford before arriving in London.
This is where the flypast will peak with the aircraft passing over the Mall and Buckingham Palace at 2.30pm.
The King and Queen Consort are due to appear on the palace balcony with other members of the royal family to watch the six-minute flypast.
Sir Michael said: “The weather isn’t looking brilliant, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
“We have to be safe, we have to make sure that we aren’t taking any unnecessary risks.
“We’ll make a weather call one or two hours before the actual moment, but if there’s rain and low cloud then it will be almost impossible to get it through.
“It’s 50/50 at the moment, but we have lots of options, the decision will be made, at this stage we’re hoping for the best.”
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson also told the PA news agency: “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.
“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.”
The decision on whether to go ahead with the flypast can be made by the RAF’s Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin, Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group, or the aircraft pilots.
The Met Office expects Saturday to be a “cloudy, wet day” across large parts of the UK, with rain falling on London “by around lunchtime”.
There were fears the flypast for the late Queen’s coronation in June 1953 would be called off due to bad weather, but after conditions improved it went ahead at 5.15pm following a delay.
Send us your Coronation pictures
Whether you've travelled to London, are serving up a treat at a street party, or have just decorated your home, we'd love to see how you're celebrating King Charles III's Coronation this weekend. Send us your pictures and we'll try and use as many as we can online and in the paper.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here