JEEVAN RAVINDRAN and NATALIE THOMAS, of Reuters, report from London…
London, UK
Reuters
Dozens of royal fans have begun camping out in central London ahead of King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, but while they and millions more are anticipating the historic event with excitement, at least as many say they do not care.
The Gold State Coach is ridden alongside members of the military during a full overnight dress rehearsal of the Coronation Ceremony of Britain’s King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, in London, Britain, on 3rd May, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Henry Nicholls
The coronation, whose origins date back 1,000 years, will be the biggest ceremonial event since that staged for Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, with a display of pageantry and a huge military procession.
For some Britons, it is a once in a lifetime event. For others, it is a welcome occasion only because it provides a day off work with an extra holiday on Monday.
“They just take everything from me. They never do a day’s work,” said Philip Nash, 68, as he swept the streets in Whitechapel, a more run down area of east London.
“I’d like to see one of them come out here, come sweep this street. Have you known any of them to do a day’s work? They are like vampires, sucking my blood.”
For some in Whitechapel, an area where immigrants have settled in the British capital for centuries, a spectacular ceremony for the royals seemed inappropriate when many are dealing with high inflation – running at over 10 per cent – which is sending the cost of food and energy soaring.
“With loads of people struggling to pay bills and dealing with a lot of loss, it’s kind of disheartening to see on TV so much resources and money being given to this family…it doesn’t feel like they’re giving us anything back,” said dentistry student Unab Ali, 19.
Across the capital and many parts of Britain, shops and public areas are bedecked with Union Flag bunting and street parties are planned. Giant screens will show the ceremony at 30 sites around the nation.
While planning and details for the historic occasions have been trailed for months in the media, polls suggest the majority of the public are not that interested.
A YouGov poll last month found only 33 per cent of those asked cared about it. Another survey last week found 48 per cent were likely to watch it on television compared to 46 per cent who said the opposite.
That contrasts with 1953 when millions thronged the streets of London and some 27 million people watched the televised ceremony for Elizabeth, which was for many the first time they had watched any event on TV.
Unplugging
“I’m actually unplugging completely on Saturday and I’m just going to go and be in nature for the day, with my phone off. So I won’t be celebrating,” Justin Hackney, a 32-year-old filmmaker said. “But I know my mum will, because it’s special to her, because it was special to my grandma.”
For those already lining the Mall, the grand boulevard leading to Buckingham Palace, there was a prevailing sense that this too would be a special moment.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Tony Chen, who travelled from central England to camp out despite having a severe heart condition. “Being at home watching it on TV is not like being here in real life.”
Ali Stephens, 50, a nursing associate, said it might be nonsense, “but it’s our nonsense”.
“It’s something that this little country has got and big countries haven’t got that,” she said. “And so we should really cherish it and be thankful for all that pageantry and all that nonsense … you don’t get that in a republic.”
Royal super fan Donna Werner from the US shows her celebratory handmade royal hat ahead of the Coronation of King Charles, in London, Britain, on 2nd May, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Maja Smiejkowska
FROM US TO LONDON, ROYAL SUPER FAN MAKES ‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME’ CORONATION PILGRIMAGE
US citizen Donna Werner is no stranger to royal celebrations – for more than three decades she has travelled to Britain to join in the public party at weddings and jubilees. Now she is ecstatic to be in London for her first coronation.
“And we’re off! This is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Werner exclaimed as she set off from her hotel towards Buckingham Palace, where she plans to secure a front-row seat to watch events around Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III.
The drama will come to life on the King and Queen’s return to the palace after the coronation ceremony, when they will travel in a 260-year-old gold state coach in a parade with 5,000 men and women from British and Commonwealth armed forces.
“Nobody does it like the British – the pomp and the circumstance,” said Werner, 71, who had travelled from Connecticut in the United States. “We don’t have anything like this in the States.”
Things got off to a good start on her journey to the palace, first charming a construction worker into carrying her camping gear and then catching an unexpected glimpse of King Charles driving past in his car.
“He was waving at us. I was like, ‘Oh, my god, it’s like really happening’,” said Werner, who plans to stay up all night so she can sneak a peek at a rehearsal taking place on Tuesday night.
Werner’s first royal event was the wedding of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and she has been hooked ever since.
“I’m just happy to be here and be part of history. I mean, this hasn’t happened in 70 years,” Werner said.
Next to her tent, Werner has hung an American flag and a sign reading “US loves King Charles.” She has also painstakingly created a hat covered with flags, photos and cut-out figures of King Charles.
“It’s right there and we’re right here,” Werner said, reflecting on her proximity to Westminster Abbey, where the coronation will take place. “It gives you goosebumps. It really does, it really, really does.”
– JEEVAN RAVINDRAN with SARAH YOUNG, London, UK/Reuters
