That was all a lot to ask.
The commentators on the BBC were effusive, but they always are about historic royal moments. We will see what ordinary Britons think. Many, especially the youth, are apathetic about the constitutional monarchy, and a golden carriage is hard to square with a cost-of-living crisis.
It was a drizzly, spongy day, the skies were fish-belly gray, and crowds along the parade route held umbrellas above their heads or were wrapped in clear plastic, as they joined in an “homage of the people,” in unison declaring their allegiance to the new king.
A planned flypast by 60 aircraft was scaled way back, “due to unsuitable weather conditions,” the Ministry of Defense explained. Instead there were a few helicopters and the Royal Air Force aerobatic team known as the “Red Arrows.”
Inside Westminster Abbey, the scene of every coronation since 1066, the new king vowed he came “to serve, not to be served.” But then he was served — a lot.
Items of arcane but priceless regalia were handed to him: orb, swords, ring, gloves, scepters, spurs. Lots of golden things presented by lots of people. The newspapers have been obsessive in their detailed descriptions of every item.
The service was shortened to two hours, down from three in 1953. Still, it was very churchy, which might have surprised some who had tuned in for the pomp. It was about Charles, but was also very much about Jesus. In this performance, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had more speaking lines than the new king.
But Charles had a hand in all of it, playing both leading man and director. It was at his urging that his role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the Protector of the Faith would be explained as seeking “to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.” Representatives from the Jewish, Sunni and Shiite Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Bahai and Zoroastrian communities were there to honor him.
The service also featured some great music — including a stirring prayer, for the first time sung in Welsh, and a new composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber, entitled, “Make a Joyful Noise.”
Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, was a guest, seated in the third row. At one point his face was obscured by the red plumage atop his aunt Princess Anne’s hat. His wife, Meghan, remained in California. Soon after the service, the tabloids reported he was headed back there, too — seemingly without a resolution of his ongoing feud with his father.
His brother, Prince William, the heir, played a prominent role. He knelt before the king and, in an “homage of royal blood,” promised his fealty “as your liege man of life and limb.” He then rose and kissed his father on the cheek. That was a tender moment.
The 74-year-old Charles often looks ruddy and dashing in his Savile Row blue pinstripe suits. Here, he was dressed in heavy silk robes, trying not to topple a heavy crown, and had to march stiffly down the aisle holding two scepters.
He looked weighted down. The Times of London wrote, “King Charles looked stilted and anxious — majestic, if not joyful.”
He was grandfatherly, his eyebrows were old-man bushy. He is not a young virile king, ready for battle. But Britain might hope he will be a wise and judicious king in his golden years.
His wife, Queen Camilla, was also anointed and crowned, but that part of the service took only a few minutes, and looked rushed, an add-on.
She did appear very human, fidgeting with the crown after it was placed on her head, like she was unused to such a headdress.
The royal kids looked cute, yawning and distracted.
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the youngest children of William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were photographed holding hands inside the abbey while standing behind their parents.
The first coronation to be broadcast on television was for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Hers was in grainy black and white on the BBC. The 2023 coronation for Charles was for a hi-def monarchy. The colors were sharp, the red tunics redder…
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