King's delight at Coronation military parade

The senior soldier has been involved in the planning of the King's coronation

The soldier in charge of organising more than 1,000 military personnel for the King's coronation procession said the day couldn't have gone any better.

Garrison Sergeant Major Andrew "Vern" Stokes, said he was "delighted" at how the event had been staged.

The Shropshire solider had been responsible for the ceremonial aspects including stepping the parade off and closing it with three cheers.

King Charles said he was "absolutely delighted" with the day.

"I thought it was faultless from start to end," GSM Stokes, of the Coldstream Guards said.

The solider, from Coalbrookdale in Telford, was responsible for the ceremonial aspects of the procession between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

"I have watched it back," he said, and the "most delightful things were just the vigour, the echo from His Majesty's armed forces, but secondly there's a very quick moment afterwards where you see the King's chest just puff with pride, and that says to me job well done, that was just incredible."

Sergeant Major Andrew "Vern" Stokes led the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace

He said he had finished his duties at the sergeant's mess at the military's operations centre and had watched the flypast.

"I took a phone call from Buckingham Palace and it was a message from the King to say that he was absolutely delighted, he couldn't have been happier with how the whole day went.

"So I was able to relay that to all of the sergeant's mess members that were having a drink after the parade which was a really special moment," he added.

"For him and his team to take the time out just to give us the thumbs up to say well done - and then to be able to relay it to those that were on parade - was an incredible moment."

Training now starts for preparations for the King's birthday on 17 June which he said would be the first King's Birthday Parade at Horse Guards Parade for 70 years.

The soldier, who was also involved in the funerals of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, said the coronation had been the "culmination" of his military career.

"I certainly won't see anything like it in the rest of my time left in the army, and it would be a challenge to see anything like it in our generation."