Armed Forces and Royal state coaches feature in early-morning coronation rehearsal

Further glimpses of the coronation have been revealed as rehearsals took place in central London in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Thousands of service personnel, many on horseback, marched down from Buckingham Palace past Trafalgar Square and Downing Street to Westminster Abbey.

The Diamond Jubilee State Coach and Gold State Coach were marched down The Mall as part of the preparations for the full event on 6 May.

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The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was accompanied by hundreds of soldiers on horseback as it travelled along The Mall, setting off shortly after 12:20am on Wednesday.

Royal fanatics waited for more than three hours for the parade to make a return journey down The Mall.

Crowds ran through St James' Park to find the best spots near the palace, with many trying to spot their relatives in their military outfits.

Hundreds of military personnel marched through central London before stopping along Whitehall and standing in silence.

Many carried a wide range of instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, horns and cymbals but only the drums were played by marching soldiers until they returned down The Mall after 03:00am. 

The parade had begun when soldiers dressed in bright yellow uniforms began the short journey and the brass band on horseback practised as they accompanied the state coach as it passed through Westminster.

Onlookers skipped along next to the state coach and ran after the regiments of mounted soldiers that followed.

Soldiers from a wide variety of regiments marched down The Mall after 01:00am.

Buckingham Palace remained mostly silent with soldiers quietly maintaining protocol until a regiment playing the bagpipes brought the area to life shortly after 02:30am.

Other soldiers were spotted parading in Parliament Square and practised changing position as Big Ben chimed.

Artillery regiments rehearsed moving cannons on horseback and soldiers were seen pretending to fire the ceremonial weapons.

The procession returned to Buckingham Palace shortly after 03:00am with bands in full swing.

The Gold State Coach was spotted passing Buckingham Palace shortly after 03:20am.