London — Anyone riding the rails in the U.K. this coronation weekend will notice a change to the iconic loudspeaker announcements warning people to “mind the gap.” King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, recorded a special message to mark the occasion.
“My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend,” Charles says in the message being played at railway stations across the country and Tube stations in London.”
“Wherever you are traveling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey,” adds the queen consort, who from the moment of her coronation on Saturday will be known as Queen Camilla, with the “consort” dropped.
“And remember, please mind the gap,” Charles concludes.
“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,” Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said in a statement.
On Thursday, Charles’ son William, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, made a short trip to a local pub on London’s new Elizabeth Line, part of the London Underground service that’s named after the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Jordan Pettitt / Getty Images
Meanwhile, a new train service named in honor of King Charles will begin running at the moment of his coronation on Saturday. The Carolean Express — named for the Carolean Era, the time during which a king named Charles reigns, will travel between London and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Another new train service, which made its first departure Friday from London on its way to Swansea, Wales, was named the Flying Carolean. The train bears an official coronation logo.
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