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Jay Blades has opened up about what it was like being in Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III, admitting that it was an ‘eerie’ experience.
On Saturday May 6, the King and Queen Camilla were officially coronated after succeeding the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the ceremony taking place at the historic Abbey before they were joined by fellow members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
A plethora of celebrities attended the event, including Dame Joanna Lumley, Katy Perry, Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly and Dame Emma Thompson.
The Repair Shop star Jay, who recently starred on a special episode with the King (when he was still Prince Charles), was also invited to witness the crowning.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show, the 53-year-old spoke about how he took some food in with him, as he had to be in there at 7.30am and breakfast at his hotel only started at 8am, so they prepared a doggy bag for him.
‘You had a great seat,’ Lorraine, 63, added, as Jay responded: ‘I had leg room, it was unbelievable. And you could see everything.’
Jay was among the celebrities invited to attend the historic event (Picture: Getty/ITV)
The King and the furniture restorer had a laugh together on The Repair Shop (Picture: BBC/Ian West/PA)
Opening up about the ambience inside the Abbey, the furniture restorer compared it to if Disney – known for its heartwarming fairytales – had taken a dark turn.
It’s one of those things where… I explained it like this. I know it’s going to sound weird, but it’s like if Disney had done a horror movie,’ he explained.
‘It was beautiful, but at the same time it was eerie. Westminster I’ve been round loads of times before, and I’ve never seen it where it’s as empty as that. It was just unbelievable. There was nobody there. But everybody was in the church, it was just like… wow.’
The ceremony was full of pomp and circumstance (Picture: Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Wire)
‘What an amazing thing to be a part of,’ Lorraine remarked, as Jay described it as a ‘true honour’.
He continued: ‘It’s one of the most eeriest things you can ever experience,’ adding that while he wasn’t allowed to take any photos inside, he’s cherishing the memories in his mind.
Jay and King Charles appeared to get on like a house on fire during a special episode of The Repair Shop to mark the centenary of the BBC.
The TV personality admitted that he received ‘a lot of grief’ for touching the then-Prince of Wales amid claims that he had broken royal protocol.
‘Well, there was plenty of royal security there to say don’t touch the geezer, but they didn’t. He’s only a human and he touched me too. So I think everyone should pipe down,’ he stated.
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV.
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‘It’s one of the most eeriest things you can ever experience,’ the TV star said.
