The coronation flypast including the Red Arrows could be cancelled or cut back if the weather is deemed too poor.

Spectators were warned by the Met Office that they may need their raincoats and umbrellas on Saturday.

Although forecasters said the exact weather is difficult to predict, currently rain is expected which could disrupt proceedings.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘As is always the case for flypasts of this type, the latest weather information will be obtained, and weather checks will take place in advance of the main flypast on Saturday.

‘Depending on the weather there are a number of contingencies in place.’

The forecast will be assessed right up until the last minute – and would only be cancelled up to an hour before the flypast, which is due at 2.30pm.

It is also possible the number of aircraft involved may be reduced to help with visibility issues.

Cloud could be seen as low as 200m above ground, according to weather models.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said: ‘We’ve got quite a showery picture. Friday is going to be a mixture of heavy rain and showers and thunderstorms.

‘At the moment it looks like, as I say, the morning should be relatively dry with some sunny spells in London, but the afternoon could see showers developing in London.

‘But long lead time, so as always the message is to keep an eye on the forecast and check it regularly because the detail will become clearer as we get nearer to the day.’

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The historic Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla will take place in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

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Despite this, it is expected to be warm and humid with temperatures reaching as high as 20°C.

Flypasts for previous royal occasions have had to be cancelled due to bad weather, including the second one of the Platinum Jubilee weekend last year and the event for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, both due to cloudy weather.

More than 60 aircraft are expected to take to the skies for the King’s coronation in two days’ time.

But as Charles wanted a ‘slimmed down’ event, it will be 10 times smaller than the one for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.

The grand finale is expected to include Typhoons, Apache helicopters and a Lancaster bomber.

Some aircraft will fly south from the Norfolk coast over Thetford, while others will come in from the North Sea over Southwold and then Ipswich. They will all follow the same route from that point.

The planes will head over Essex to London and will also take in parts of Surrey, plus Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire as they disperse.

The flypast is expected to last around six minutes in total.

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