Vivat Rex! Pupils prepare to be first to hail King Charles at coronation

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, Britain November 13, 2022. Isabel Infantes/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - When King Charles is crowned at London's Westminster next month, scholars from the next door school will be the first to formally acclaim the new monarch by singing out "Vivat Rex", just as they have done at coronations for more than three centuries.

The current crop of 48 pupils from the prestigious, private Westminster School have been practising for months for their big moment on May 6, a tradition which dates back to at least 1685.