Proud troops march through London in midnight dress rehearsal for King Charles’ coronation

THOUSANDS of military personnel marched through the streets of London in a midnight full dress rehearsal for Saturday’s Coronation.

The spectacular 261-year-old Gold State Coach, which will return the newly crowned King and Queen to Buckingham Palace, made its way up The Mall in the early ­hours yesterday.

It was joined in the overnight jaunt by the more modern and air-conditioned Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which will carry Charles and Camilla to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.

Hundreds of guards and members of the Household Cavalry, resplendent in red tunics and some on horseback, brought the night-time capital back to life after setting off for a practice run at 12.20am.

Around 7,000 military personnel from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force filled the 1.3-mile route, which also took in Downing Street, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament.

Many carried instruments but only the drums were played until they returned to The Mall after 3am, with the bands in full swing.

Earlier on Tuesday, hundreds of troops were seen boarding trains from stations including the garrison town of Aldershot, Hants, and heading to London Waterloo before the rehearsal.

Among them was Toby Joyce, from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, who posted a picture on Twitter of himself smiling on the train.

He wrote: “The commute was interesting.”