Not just the King of England, but the King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. Not since 1953 has Britain seen a Royal coronation – King Charles III is about to finally get his crown.
The coronation is this Saturday, May 6th, in case you missed the news. I’ll be up and glued to the telly at 6 am for the procession. The ceremony itself will be at 7 – that is A.M. by the way. In the morning. EARLY!
I’ll be doing double duty for my guests as it’s also FSU graduation weekend in Tallahassee and our whole town will be jumping with happy students and even happier parents who are about to get their FSU students off the payroll. They hope.
But I digress.
It’s Coronation Day on Saturday. People all over Britain will be donning patriotic t-shirts, Union Jack hats, socks and the like to hang out in the street and be proud to be British. It’ll be a great day for sure, but I’m happy to be in Tallahassee pouring coffee for FSU parents who are celebrating university graduation, a major milestone in their lives.
And why is that? Glad you asked.
Traffic. Crowds. More crowds. When London grinds to a halt, it is a major event.
If you’ve never been to London, just imagine a similar sized city like New York City with no cars, no yellow taxis, just thousands upon thousands of people, lining the streets. Lots of tables covered in food and beverages. British flags flying from lamp posts, buildings, windows, maybe even planes streaming red,white and blue vapour.
It’ll be utter chaos. Organized chaos, but too much chaos for this short lady.
I recall when the Queen celebrated her silver jubilee in 1978, I was just a child but it was such a splendid time in England! Despite the gloomy news, and probably rainy weather, everyone was so happy! Everyone was British that day, no one cared about political opinions, race, gender issues or anything else. There were street parties, games for children, no-one was working (not even my Dad), and the mood was celebratory – for days, it seemed. And oh, yes – there was no school – a celebration for every child, indeed!Back
Back to 2023…The coronation ceremony is going to be on a Saturday, so oodles of people will be off work and lining the streets surrounding the Abbey and Monday will be a bank holiday, for those that have to work on Saturday. Thank you first responders, public transportation people and all you other essential workers. Hope you’re getting double/triple pay.
If you’re watching on TV you’ll see King Charles and his Queen Consort (on Sunday to be known simply as, Queen Camilla) walk up the aisle of Westminster Abbey. It will look familiar for Royal watchers as it’s the same abbey used for the funerals of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana, as well as the wedding of Prince William and Kate.
Both Charles and Camilla will be anointed, with oil, for service to the British people, by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
There are some folks who are most cross about the fact that Camilla will be crowned Queen. I”m sure the tabloids and social media sites will be full of the Diana-lovers / Camilla-haters having a field day of tension. Don’t read any of it, it’ll only give your heartburn.
Charles will be given the Scepter which represents the concept of the King ruling. He will also be presented with the Orb – a sphere which reminds us (and him) he is merely a king and still under the rule of God.
And then there’s the crown…. the same crown used on his Mum, 70 years ago when she became queen. It’s a pretty jaw dropping piece of jewellery – about two and a half pounds of gold, diamonds, sapphires and other precious stones. I”m sure when Elizabeth was crowned, at age 25, and standing 5 feet 4″, that crown must have been exceedingly heavy! I imagine it’s like balancing a bag of sugar on your head. Not a good Royal visual, ’tis true I know, but factual.
Charles is 74 years old. Not a young man. That crown is going to feel like more than a bag of sugar on his head. More like a bag of concrete powder. I”m feeling bad for him, already. Not because I”m 74, but because I’m as short as the late Queen Elizabeth.
And who will be there, inside the Abbey, you ask?
The family, as expected. Heads of state. Politicians. Ever-So-Important people – well at least more important than you and I. Most notable by her absence will be Meghan Markle. Harry will leave his wife behind in southern California for a few days to support his father in London, and consequently miss his son’s 4th birthday. I”m pretty sure young Archie will be just fine.
Methinks her staying home is a superb plan. I”m tired of hearing about her (as you are too, perhaps). Plus, the British people will want all eyes on the new King, Charles III, and Meghan will be a bit of a rather annoying distraction. It’s been 70 years since the last coronation…that’s a long time! It might be a while before we get to see another one… Although I have heard many say that Charles may not last long…
In which case Prince William and his bride Catherine are next in line for the throne. If the throne still exists by then. That’s another topic, for another day.
I imagine not as many people outside of the UK, will tune in to watch the coronation, as they did the wedding of Harry and Meghan, or the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
After all, it’s on a Saturday. Still a day for errands, shopping, beach time or watching football.
In addition, once the Queen had been buried and an appropriate amount of mourning time had passed, many (myself included) were ready to move on and no longer have to listen to Royal gossip. Many loved the Queen…the institution of the monarchy? Not so much.
So if you’re up and around in the early hours of Saturday morning, tune into the coronation of King Charles. And let me know what you think.
And if you fancy a discussion over a cup of tea about all things Royal, in favor or not so much, make a reservation at the Little English Guesthouse and we can have a good chinwag!
So, who is the King of England?
Why, that would be Charles. King Charles III.
God Save the King.
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