2023-05-06 09:00:04
Ahead of the coronation of Charles III in London on Saturday in a very solemn religious ceremony, the day was marred by the arrest of several anti-monarchy protesters.
Thousands of admirers of the royal family wait, sometimes for several days, around the Mall, the famous avenue which leads to Buckingham Palace, to see the royal couple and the procession pass by, for this historic day marked by all the pomp British royal events.
The Anglican religious ceremony, with the millennial rite, must begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT) at Westminster Abbey and last two hours. Charles III, 74 years old, will be acclaimed there, will take the oath on the Bible, will receive the anointing and will be crowned, dressed in heavy ancestral coats of silk and gold. He will be the 40th British sovereign crowned at the abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066. Camilla, 75, his second wife, will also be blessed and crowned.
But before the procession from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey even started, police arrested six anti-monarchy activists in Trafalgar Square where hundreds were preparing to demonstrate against the coronation, including Republic leader Graham Smith , according to the organizers. Hundreds of yellow “Not my King” signs were also seized, the organization said, with supporting photos.
The police confirmed having made several arrests on suspicion of disturbing public order in several places. More than 11,000 officers are mobilized on Saturday in London and the police had warned that they would show little tolerance towards those who wanted to “spoil the celebrations”.
Union Jack and pennants
“Free Graham Smith!” chanted the demonstrators. If the antimonarchies remain very much in the minority, their proportion is rising within the population and especially among young people. Their presence was unimaginable under Elizabeth II, a sign of challenges for Charles III, an already elderly sovereign much less popular than his mother or his heir William, 40 years old.
Thirteen environmental protesters from Just Stop Oil were also arrested on the Mall, noted an AFP journalist. The last coronation dates back to 1953 for Elizabeth II and most Britons have never experienced one. In a United Kingdom in the midst of a cost of living crisis, the event, with its golden scepters, sumptuous carriages and crowns set with some of the largest diamonds in the world, was prepared without much popular enthusiasm.
Thousands of fans and curious were however massed Saturday in the center of London behind the barriers, the Union Jack, the British flag, printed on t-shirts, hats, worn as a standard and pennants. Phyllis Taylor, 60, in an elegant floral dress, and her husband Steven, 61, in a black suit and bow tie, traveled from Glasgow to Scotland for “this very special occasion”.
“We are very excited, very proud to be British,” she enthused. “It’s a great day for the country, I can’t wait,” abounds Caba Mendes, 21-year-old Londoner, selfie stick in hand.
Unique in Europe
The 2,300 guests – around a hundred heads of state, representatives of foreign royal families, of the Commonwealth, but also deserving members of civil society – began to take their places at the abbey, while at Buckingham Palace the balcony from where the royal couple will wave to the crowds after the ceremony and watch an aerial parade, were dressed in a red velvet drapery.
Charles III became king when his mother Elizabeth II died in September after 70 years of reign. His coronation, unique in Europe, is the religious confirmation. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, of Hindu faith, will read a Bible verse during the ceremony. His seven living predecessors will be there.
To take into account the diversity of a country where less than half of the population now calls itself Christian, representatives of the main religions will take part in one of the processions. The royal couple will leave the abbey in a spectacular military procession, aboard the particularly uncomfortable golden carriage used for all coronations since 1831.
harry alone
Coming from California without his wife Meghan and his children, the king’s youngest son, Harry, very critical of the monarchy, will have no active role, any more than Prince Andrew, brother of the king, sidelined since a scandal sexual. The coronation will cost tens of millions of euros, largely paid for by the taxpayer.
As Britons have suffered from double-digit inflation for months, the palace has been keen to weigh the expense against the ‘huge economic boost’ of a historic event generating ‘huge global interest’ . Some Brits aren’t so sure. 72% of them, according to a YouGov poll on Friday, do not intend to participate in the festivities of this long weekend extended to a holiday Monday.
After the coronation, neighborhood meals and a concert in Windsor are scheduled for Sunday. The coronation revived the debate on the future of the monarchy, particularly in the 14 other kingdoms of which Charles III is head of state. Belize and Jamaica have already made it known that they hope to quickly become republics, as Barbados did in 2021.
Before the coronation of Charles III in London on Saturday during a very solemn religious ceremony, the day was marred by the arrest of several anti-monarchy demonstrators. Thousands of admirers of the royal family wait, sometimes for several days, on the outskirts du Mall, the famous avenue that leads to Buckingham Palace, to see the royal couple and…
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