Case Study: The King's Coronation London Bus Tour – April-May 2023

On the 6th of May 2023, the world witnessed the coronation of King Charles III, nearly 70 years since the late Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in June 1953. And we simply couldn't miss this event. That's why we dedicated a whole Afternoon Tea Bus Tour to the King's Coronation. It was a fantastic and incredibly successful themed bus tour, and we're proud to share some more information about it.

Some facts about the King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

The King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour ran for a limited time between the 24th of April and the 31st of May 2023, temporarily replacing our Classic Afternoon Tea Bus tour. With one tour a day, our royal Routemaster bus graced the streets of the capital for a total of 38 days. A staggering 3,521 adults and 524 children were lucky enough to be on board this unique tour, marking one of the biggest historic events of our generation.

Our dedicated drivers took our guests through the busy streets of London, offering a view of the most famous landmarks the City has to offer, including Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St James’s Park, Hyde Park, The Royal Albert Hall, Marble Arch, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, and many others. The tour covered approximately 418 miles in total - and that's a lot of mileage covered by our royalty-like guests!

We also gave our lovely customers some souvenirs to remember this occasion forever, including coronation-themed keyrings and postcards, and a limited-edition travel cup - Brigit's Bakery style. But let's hear directly from some of the passengers who experienced the tour...

Customer reviews of the King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

Here's what some of our lovely customers had to say about the experience in May 2023:

"I booked the Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour, and Brigit’s did not disappoint! It was lovely. A big thanks to Luna, Jose, Mel and Antonella for making a afternoon to remember." - Travelnat.

"The Third Brigits tour bus I’ve done. Could not resist the King Charles Coronation tour. Thank you driver Gary." - Deb A.

"A fun and delicious way to tour London's sights [...] There was a great variety of tasty finger food and drinks to enjoy along the way, the staff were very attentive and the commentary was informative. The key-rings and postcards were a pleasant surprise and a lovely memento of the tour as was the limited-edition souvenir coronation coffee cup!" - Toowoombatourist.

Brigit's Bakery and royal events

If you're familiar with our brand at all, you'll know we never miss a chance to celebrate or mark an important occasion, especially if it's a royal one! We pride ourselves in creating the most unique themed bus tours with bespoke decorations and afternoon tea menus. And the King's Coronation Bus Tour wasn't the only royal event we offered. Other bus tours centered around the royal family include the ones that celebrated the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018 and the one for the Queen's Jubilee in 2022.

Our partnership with Majesty Magazine

As we often do with royal occasions, we provided our guests on the King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour with a guide onboard. Our guides were there to entertain and inform by supplying fun facts about King Charles III and his coronation. The guides were provided by one of our trusted partners - Majesty Magazine.

Majesty is the only monthly magazine with more than 40 years of publishing. They publish 12 copies a year and are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide both in print and in digital format. When they first appeared on the newsstands in May 1980, they featured no other than the Prince of Wales on the front cover. And a mere three months later, the magazine marked the occasion of the Queen Mother's 80th birthday.

Over the last four decades, Majesty Magazine has covered many happy events, including weddings, birthdays, and Jubilees. Of course, there have also been some sad occasions for the House of Windsor and members of the royal family - not just in the UK but all over the world. When it comes to Majesty Magazine, it's all about history in the making. And we couldn't be prouder to say we collaborated with this fantastic institution for this exclusive tour.

The King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Menu

All our themed bus tours offer a bespoke afternoon tea menu. And for the occasion, we had an exclusive menu curated by Grant Harrold The Royal Butler, who used to work for King Charles at Highgrove House in The Cotswolds. Now a Royal Commentator, British Entertainer, and Broadcaster, Grant is a leading UK Etiquette Expert. He also works with and advises Royals and their households across the globe.

Over the last 20+ years, Grant has worked alongside many other Royals, VIPs, and Celebrities. And we couldn't be prouder of his involvement in collaborating with our chefs to create this exclusive King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Menu.

Here's what our royal afternoon tea menu looked like.

Freshly Prepared Savouries:

• Cucumber Finger Sandwich.
• Egg Mayonnaise Finger Sandwich.
• Coronation Chicken Bun.
• Mushroom Quiche.

Assortment of mini Homemade Cakes and Tarts:

• Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake.
• Lemon Posset with a Lemon & Cranberry Florentine Biscuit.
• Banana & Salted Caramel Choux.
• Plum Frangipan.
• White Chocolate Earl Grey Macaron.
• Royal Scone with Clotted Cream and Jam.

As always, our drink options included coffee, hot chocolate, and a fantastic loose-leaf tea selection. And as with all our tours, we also offered alternative menus, including Vegan, Vegetarian, Halal, and Gluten-free.

The King's Coronation Bus Tour decorations

In true Brigit's Bakery style, our iconic Routemaster buses took on a regal look for the King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. We were able to dress our bus up for the occasion thanks to our generous sponsor Talking Tables. Their contribution of stunning decorations certainly added an extra touch of royalty to our Coronation-themed bus tour. Their King's Coronation collection also stood out for being eco-friendly and plastic-free.

The King's Coronation Weekend - a recap

Ready to take a quick trip down memory lane and reminisce about the King's Coronation Weekend? The coronation ceremony (conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury) was held at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6th May 2023. It was watched by an average of 18.8 million people, with audience figures peaking at 20.4 million when the King was crowned just after midday. Did you know that the ceremony followed a longstanding tradition that dates back to William the Conqueror's coronation in 1066?

Rooted in pageantry, the service perfectly reflected the role of the monarchy in the modern world. Their Majesties arrived at Westminster Abbey in a King's Procession from Buckingham Palace, and following the ceremony, they returned to Buckingham Palace in a Coronation Procession, where they appeared on the balcony.

On Sunday, May 7th, we all enjoyed a special Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. The concert, broadcast live, featured performances from artists including a British Army orchestra, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Alexis Ffrench, Zak Abel, Take That, and many more.

Also on Sunday, May 7th, the Eden Project oversaw and organised a Coronation Big Lunch. Communities in the UK were invited to participate, sharing food and fun. Beautiful street parties were held all over the country. It was a joyful opportunity for celebrations with friends, families, and communities - just as Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort had hoped.

Long live the King!

As we reflect on the grandeur and significance of this historic weekend, we couldn't be prouder to be able to say that here at Brigit's Bakery, we played our role in celebrating the official crowning of our new monarch. Our King's Coronation Afternoon Tea Bus Tour perfectly captured the spirit of unity and joy felt throughout the nation during this incredible occasion.