Exclusive: Lloyd Webber's Her Majesty's Theatre to be renamed for coronation

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in London will be renamed His Majesty’s Theatre on May 6, to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

The theatre is home to The Phantom of the Opera, and the UK Cabinet Office and King Charles, through the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, permitted the name change. 

When Queen Elizabeth died last year, LW Theatres indicated the name would change but said this would be done at an "appropriate time".

The decision to change the name of the theatre, owned by LW Theatres, is in keeping with a historic precedent that began in the 1700s. 

The Queen’s Theatre, the first theatre built on the site in 1705 by John Vanbrugh, was named with the permission of Queen Anne. 

The theatre has since been rebuilt three times and has changed its name in line with each reigning British monarch. It first became the King’s Theatre in 1714 on the accession of George I. 

The current building, designed by Charles J Phipps and built in 1897, was named Her Majesty’s Theatre for Queen Victoria. Upon the ascension of Edward VII, the name was changed to His Majesty’s Theatre, and at the start of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the theatre’s name changed again.  

The latest change will be effective immediately on May 6, 2023. 

LW Theatres owns six venues, including the London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

His Majesty’s Theatre will continue to be home to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, now in its 36th successive year in this theatre in the West End.