The Coronation of King Charles III
This was hardly the first coronation, but with the passing of seventy years since the last one, no one was entirely sure what to expect. Especially as Britain and the world at large were much different places. When the Queen was crowned in 1953 the country was still reeling from the Second World War, the British Empire still in existence. In 2023, how would King Charles blend the modern and the traditional to create something relevant and yet still rooted in who we are as a nation?
What made this event all the more remarkable was the fact this was the third major royal event in the span of twelve months. Highly unusual, and after the Platinum Jubilee and the Queen’s funeral I was curious as to what the turnout would be considering Charles has always lived in his mother’s shadow. Thankfully, the crowds were still substantial, with millions more tuning in around the country and around the world. For those of us in London we had the task of either finding a spot along the procession route or in one of the royal parks with a big screen. For me it had to be along the route, and after a false start I did actually manage to make it to The Mall.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a major British event without the appearance of very British weather, with it being wet for most of the day. Thankfully though not the flash flooding we’ve also seen this week. But despite the hours and hours of waiting it was well worth it to glimpse the largest royal procession since 1953. For me what really symbolised the change from Queen to King was seeing the gold embroidered uniforms of the State Trumpeters with CRIII and not ERII, as it had been for the funeral last year. After all the years of wondering what this moment would be like, that was when it really sank in for me.
Unfortunately, with little to no signal with the sheer amount of people there, I couldn’t get the actual ceremony at Westminster Abbey up on my phone, but it was at least broadcast via the loudspeakers at The Mall. What I most wanted to see however, was the newly crowned King and Queen travelling back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach. And what a magnificent sight it was. It really is incredible seeing this enormous, large carriage pulled by no less than eight horses and of course this time with crowned monarchs inside. Something from another era, but also something that provides a great deal of continuity. Every monarch since William IV has used it for their coronation. Though King Charles opted to use it for a much shorter period of time given how uncomfortable it is.
The final part of the day was the flyover and the Royal family greeting the crowds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. I hadn’t managed to be in the same position I was in last year for the Jubilee and so I didn’t think I’d get a chance to get that balcony photo. But I did manage to get onto The Mall when it opened and, bit by bit, we got closer and closer until amazingly we were far enough down to where I could see them with my own two eyes. Thankfully there was a lot less staging this year and this meant the public could get much closer. I’d brought my telephoto lens for this exact moment and managed to get shots even better than last year, which I was really thrilled with. A great memento from such an extraordinary day. Just a pity the flyover was greatly reduced due to the bad weather.
For now, it should be back to business as usual for the Royal family, with no major events on the horizon for some time. Though of course we never know what the future might hold, It would be nice to have a rest from all those hours of waiting in the rain.
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