As the country prepares to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, it brings into sharp focus our own very special connection with royal history here in the Royal Borough of Kingston.

We are the oldest royal borough in England, the site of the coronation of the country’s first kings. Up to seven Saxon kings are believed to have been crowned in the town at the original Coronation Stone, which was recently refurbished and sits in the grounds of the historic Guildhall.

The Coronation celebrations across our borough will draw on this special association. Our Coronation parade on Sunday, May 7 will gather in the Ancient Market Place in Kingston town centre at 2.45pm to lead people on a historic journey through the ages - from the Coronation of King Athelstan in 925 to the present day.

Organised by the council, All Saints Church, Kingston Music Service and the Rose Theatre, it will begin with a fanfare from our town crier, and will include a junk percussion band and much more! There will also be a Thanksgiving Service at All Saint Church at 4pm.

Our invaluable voluntary and community groups will play a huge part in our local festivities. In a fitting celebration of our vibrant and diverse borough with its strong cultural and community heritage, the New Malden Town Centre Partnership will be holding an event Jubilee Square, Cocks Crescent on 8 May. It will bring together local community groups to celebrate our different cultures.

Elsewhere, Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL), which supports disabled people to live independently in the local community, is holding a Coronation lunch on Friday 5 May for both members and those interested in discovering more about how KCIL can support them. And I know many of you will be coming together with your friends and neighbours in local street parties.

You can find details of all the fantastic events, volunteering opportunities and initiatives taking place across the borough over the Coronation weekend at kingston.gov.uk/celebrating-kings-coronation.

His Majesty King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in the first coronation since the late Queen in 1953. It will also be the first coronation of a king since 1937. The very first king of England, King Athelstan, was crowned at the Coronation Stone in Kingston in 925. As we approach the 1100th anniversary of this momentous event in 2025, I’m very excited to say that we are planning celebrations fit for a king to mark the occasion here in the royal borough. We will be sharing details of what will be happening nearer the time.

So as we get ready to mark the coronation of King Charles III, I wish him well and look forward to coming together with the rest of the country to play our part in this special occasion as the country’s oldest royal borough. And I also look forward to marking our unique place in England’s coronation heritage on the anniversary of King Athelstan’s crowning in 2025.