Anti-monarchy protests erupt at Westminster Abbey ahead of King's arrival

The Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, will also be attending.

However, Republic, an anti-monarchy group, has staged protests outside the Abbey ahead of the Royal Family's arrival.

Yellow placards reading "Not My King" were visible, as well as a massive banner stating: "What Did You Know? Abolish The Monarchy. Charles, What Are You Hiding?"

Elsewhere, black placards reading: "Commonwealth Of Hypocrisy. We Demand Justice For Babanki", and "Commonwealth Of Hypocrisy. Free All Arrested. Over 4500 Currently Held In Cameroun's Torture Centres" could be seen.

In addition, a third group are protesting against the Commonwealth's alleged anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

The royals are not scheduled to arrive until later this afternoon, but it is likely the protesters will still be present.

Last month, Republic announced it was planning a major demonstration at this year's Order of the Garter ceremony, scheduled for Monday, June 15 at Windsor Castle.

In a press release, the organisation revealed it has "an exciting action planned" for the royal event and is seeking monarchy sceptics to participate.

The group has explained that those interested in observing the protest must apply through the traditional route, but conceal their reason for attending.

Republic, which exists to advocate for the replacement of the monarchy with a de jure parliamentary republic, emphasised that building a large pool of ticket holders would increase the likelihood of their planned demonstration succeeding at the historic ceremony.

Thr group explicitly warned applicants to conceal their affiliation with the campaign group when requesting tickets.

It comes as the BBC has scrapped its live broadcast of today's Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, opting instead to air an episode of Escape to the Country.

The national broadcaster attributed the decision to budgetary constraints.

A BBC spokesman defended the scheduling change, telling the Sun: “Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day ceremony in the same way we've done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges.

“BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”

Rather than the royal ceremony, BBC One viewers will watch a Canadian couple searching for properties in Scotland's Central Lowlands.

The Westminster Abbey service has been held annually since 1972 and televised by the BBC since 1989, serving as the sole yearly event uniting the 56 Commonwealth member states and their combined population of 2.7 billion people.

Nations including Australia, Canada and India form part of the Commonwealth family, with King Charles serving as its head.

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner and ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse are anticipated to deliver readings during today's service.