2023-05-06 02:03:32
A historic day for the British Royal Family
Charles III will be crowned with great fanfare this Saturday at Westminster Abbey in London. Camilla, his second wife, will also be blessed and crowned.
For several days, fans of the monarchy and tourists have flocked to the British capital protected by an important security device.
AFP
With all the pomp and solemnity of major royal events, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will step through the gates of Westminster Abbey in London in a matter of hours for a historic coronation that only elicits relative enthusiasm among Britons.
The Anglican religious ceremony, with the millennial rite, must begin at 11:00 a.m. (12:00 p.m. in Switzerland) 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. Camilla, 75, his second wife, will also be blessed and crowned.
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.
Two thousand three hundred guests including a hundred heads of state, representatives of foreign royal families, members of the nobility, parliamentarians, representatives of the Commonwealth, but also deserving members of civil society are expected at the abbey around the family royal. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, of Hindu faith, will read a Bible verse there. 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. An appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace is scheduled for around 2:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. in Switzerland) with an aerial flight that the rain could however upset.
harry alone
Coming alone from California, the king’s youngest son, Harry, very critical of the monarchy, will have no active role, any more than Prince Andrew, the king’s brother, sidelined since a sex scandal.
For several days, fans of the monarchy and tourists have flocked to the British capital protected by an important security device. Some camp out in a festive atmosphere on the decked Mall, the wide avenue that leads to Buckingham Palace, so as not to miss a thing of the show. “None of us have experienced a coronation,” Karen Chamberlain, 57, who came with her family from Birmingham, told AFP. “Being here is a way of saying that we are proud of our monarchy.”
Some of those fans were even able to shake hands with the king on Friday, during a walkabout of the monarch outside the palace with his son William and William’s wife Kate.
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 this spending 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 take part in the festivities of this long weekend extended on a bank holiday Monday. After the coronation, neighborhood meals and a concert in Windsor are scheduled for Sunday.
national pride
Elizabeth II, who died at 96, was extremely popular. His coronation in 1953, at the age of 27, had aroused immense jubilation. Charles III, an aging king, is much less so, less appreciated in particular than William and Kate, often present at his side.
The majority (58%) of Britons remain pro-monarchy, but this support is waning among young people. The antimonarchists, non-existent under Elizabeth II, will take the opportunity on Saturday to show their teeth. They intend to demonstrate on the course, especially in Trafalgar square.
A few hours before the coronation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed in a press release “a moment of extraordinary national pride”, and the “consistency, dedication and service to others” of the monarchy. “No other country could put on such a dazzling spectacle – the processions, pageantry, ceremonies and street parties. But it’s not just a show. It is a proud expression of our history, our culture and our traditions,” he said.
The coronation has however revived the debate on the future of the monarchy, in particular 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.
AFP
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