Charles III: Coronation Information and Musings - Part 1

[Lilyflo]

I am an American and certainly am not affected in any financial or national way by the coronation, and what I want does not matter. What matters is what the people in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth want. But, as a royal watcher and admirer of the British Royal Family, a very slimmed down and more casual Coronation is seriously going to disappoint me. This is a once in a lifetime event, and although I imagine some slimming down will be done, I sincerely hope it won't be much. I want pomp and circumstance!!! (stomps feet ) I want a golden coach, fancy robes, tiaras, fancy dresses, pledging fealty to the King, etc, etc, etc. I want all the pomp and circumstance that Britain does best. I just love British tradition. For those of you who are citizens or the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, how do you think the general population of the UK and Commonwealth feel about it? I am wondering if this has been leaked to the Daily Mail to get a pulse from the people on how they feel about how the Coronation should be? I just can't imagine the Daily Mail would be the first to get this information and not the Telegraph.

Well, anti-monarchists are going to hate whatever it is so we can count them out. Amongst the rest of the population there will be a variety of views about what kind of coronation to have. I can't speak for others but my family and friends (the ones I've discussed it with) are largely in agreement that the ceremony should be about as long as a wedding or normal church service ie roughly an hour. All the realms should be represented but guests in the abbey should mostly be people from charities, organisations, youth groups, religious groups, the services etc. Some politicians should be present, from all the parties and a few from the House of Lords. The dress code should be accessible to all eg what you'd wear to a wedding or garden party. None of us want to see hereditary peers there at all (let alone in ermine & coronets) unless they're close relatives of HMK. The working royals can all dress up in their finery with tiaras etc. We all want the golden coach, lots of horses, marching guards, marines, sailors, airmen and military bands (including pipe bands) to create a spectacle that everyone can enjoy, whether on the streets or on the telly.

 

[VictoriaB]

We all want the golden coach, lots of horses, marching guards, marines, sailors, airmen and military bands (including pipe bands) to create a spectacle that everyone can enjoy, whether on the streets or on the telly.

I think the parade might be similar to the Queen's funeral with a section having a mixture of servicemen and women from the other realms. It won't be like the 1952 coronation for the simple fact that there were a lot more countries the Queen was crowned Queen of than there are Charles will be crowned King of.

It might also be the fact that some realms (Caribbean nations I'm looking at you) won't want to be involved in the procession because of constitutional debates going on in their own countries. I hope that's not the case but that's for the peoples of those realms and their elected representatives to decide.

There could be a commonwealth component. I'm unsure whether India, for example, by then a republic sent military personnel to the 1952 procession.

Even within the UK, the armed forces are nowhere near the size that they were in 1952 and so any ceremonial duties will need to be balanced with operational needs.

Even scaled down I thought the procession for the Queen's funeral was still impressive. I would like to see the coronation procession bigger but I think anyone expecting 1952 redux is going to be disappointed.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Will not people camp out the night before Coronation Day?

 

[suztav]

As for dress code I think we’re going to see a coronation similar to that in the Netherlands — except the ceremony will be a consecration in an Abbey with lots of acknowledgement of the various faiths practiced throughout the Commonwealth.

 

[Denville]

I am an American and certainly am not affected in any financial or national way by the coronation, and what I want does not matter. What matters is what the people in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth want. But, as a royal watcher and admirer of the British Royal Family, a very slimmed down and more casual Coronation is seriously going to disappoint me. This is a once in a lifetime event, and although I imagine some slimming down will be done, I sincerely hope it won't be much. I want pomp and circumstance!!! (stomps feet ) I want a golden coach, fancy robes, tiaras, fancy dresses, pledging fealty to the King, etc, etc, etc. I want all the pomp and circumstance that Britain does best. I just love British tradition. For those of you who are citizens or the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, how do you think the general population of the UK and Commonwealth feel about it? I am wondering if this has been leaked to the Daily Mail to get a pulse from the people on how they feel about how the Coronation should be? I just can't imagine the Daily Mail would be the first to get this information and not the Telegraph.

well I live in the UK and I hope it will be a slimmed down affair and that it will probalby be the last coronation.

 

[Mbruno]

I think the parade might be similar to the Queen's funeral with a section having a mixture of servicemen and women from the other realms. It won't be like the 1952 coronation for the simple fact that there were a lot more countries the Queen was crowned Queen of than there are Charles will be crowned King of.

Actually, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ceylon, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa (seven countries). King Charles III ironically will be crowned King of 15 countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom).

The difference in 1953 was of course that, while there were fewer realms than today, there were far more colonies, which is the reason why the military procession was more diverse. Today's rough equivalent to the old colonies are just the self-governing overseas dependent territories, which are mostly small islands with tiny populations.

 

[Lilyflo]

Will not people camp out the night before Coronation Day?

Yes they will - there are always hardy types who are willing to do that. I like camping for fun in summer but nothing would induce me to spend the night on a London pavement!

 

[Skippy]

well I live in the UK and I hope it will be a slimmed down affair and that it will probalby be the last coronation.

So no coronation for William when his time comes? How would you see that happening, then?

 

[Denville]

So no coronation for William when his time comes? How would you see that happening, then?

unlikely that I will see it, to be honest. But relatively few monarchies in Europe have coronations now, so I would guess that when Will becomes kng, he will opt for something simpler. And in today's climate, with the financial horrors that are going on, I think it woudl be a very bad idea to have a lot of pomp and ceremony.

 

[Mbruno]

Yes they will - there are always hardy types who are willing to do that. I like camping for fun in summer but nothing would induce me to spend the night on a London pavement!

In America, if you spent the night on a "pavement", you would be probably literally run over by a car.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pavement#Noun

unlikely that I will see it, to be honest. But relatively few monarchies in Europe have coronations now, so I would guess that when Will becomes kng, he will opt for something simpler. And in today's climate, with the financial horrors that are going on, I think it woudl be a very bad idea to have a lot of pomp and ceremony.

Actually, no European monarchy other than the UK now has a coronation ceremony. Even the papal coronation has now been scrapped.


I think the coronation will be gone once the Church of England is disestablished. Currently there doesn't seem to be a political push for that, but it may happen in the next 50 years.

 

[Biri]

Why the Church of England should be desestablished?

 

[Toledo]

unlikely that I will see it, to be honest. But relatively few monarchies in Europe have coronations now, so I would guess that when Will becomes king, he will opt for something simpler. And in today's climate, with the financial horrors that are going on, I think it would be a very bad idea to have a lot of pomp and ceremony.

My preference is making it grand because it's a once in a lifetime event and an historical moment as he follows the longest reigning monarch in UK. I understand budgetary concerns, political correctness and how support for republicans start everything with "paid by taxpayers..." but look at reality. In republics there is more waste of tax money given to courtiers, here in USA that breed is called lobbyists/groups of interest, than services I see to us, taxpayers, in my community.

So, give us an old time, yet budget friendly, pomp and circumstance moment to remember the UK's Charles III continues the line of his ancestor William 956 years ago. He might not be around for the thousand-year anniversary in 44 years from now, so let him have a nice coronation moment at least since his wait for the throne felt like a thousand years already.

 

[An Ard Ri]

So long as the Church of England remains the State Religion in the UK and Monarch remains head of it then there will be a Coronation.
The numbers of Anglicans in the UK is in sharp decline with the most recent figures have it at 12% ,with 8% Roman Catholic,Presbyterian 2%,Methodists 1% and other Christian 16%.

 

[Denville]

My preference is making it grand because it's a once in a lifetime event and an historical moment as he follows the longest reigning monarch in UK. I understand budgetary concerns, political correctness and how support for republicans start everything with "paid by taxpayers..." but look at reality. In republics there is more waste of tax money given to courtiers, here in USA that breed is called lobbyists/groups of interest, than services I see to us, taxpayers, in my community.

So, give us an old time, yet budget friendly, pomp and circumstance moment to remember the UK's Charles III continues the line of his ancestor William 956 years ago. He might not be around for the thousand-year anniversary in 44 years from now, so let him have a nice coronation moment at least since his wait for the throne felt like a thousand years already.

I dont think that there is any appetite for a really big coronation in the UK and since we residents and tax payers dont want anything grandiose, its not likely to be very grandiose.

 

[Skippy]

I dont think that there is any appetite for a really big coronation in the UK and since we residents and tax payers dont want anything grandiose, its not likely to be very grandiose.

This is a bit my issue with your posts. Your tone seems to imply that you are speaking for the entire nation, when you are not. It's your opinion and that is fine.
I suspect there are loads of Brits who do want a big coronation. Or at least as big as possible.
If there is anything British-royal, it's a coronation.

 

[Mirabel]

I realize there's a lot of concern about the cost of a grand coronation, but I think the increase in tourism will compensate.

(People are always complaining about the cost of such events in times of economic hardship. But if the RF were to vanish tomorrow, it would make no difference to the average citizen. The money would instead go on some politician's expense account, with not even a decent pageant to show for it.
The delusion that it would be spent to benefit the public is just that- a delusion. JMO.)

 

[Denville]

This is a bit my issue with your posts. Your tone seems to imply that you are speaking for the entire nation, when you are not. It's your opinion and that is fine.
I suspect there are loads of Brits who do want a big coronation. Or at least as big as possible.
If there is anything British-royal, it's a coronation.

Perhaps some do, but I haven't met any. Most people I know are far from bothered about the RF and are not keen on a big ceremony or paying for one.

 

[Alison H]

(People are always complaining about the cost of such events in times of economic hardship. But if the RF were to vanish tomorrow, it would make no difference to the average citizen. The money would instead go on some politician's expense account, with not even a decent pageant to show for it.
The delusion that it would be spent to benefit the public is just that- a delusion. JMO.)

Exactly. We'd just have a president instead, and presidents don't come cheap. I don't think people want a hole-in-the-corner coronation that will clearly look cut price. There needs to be a happy medium.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Well, anti-monarchists are going to hate whatever it is so we can count them out. Amongst the rest of the population there will be a variety of views about what kind of coronation to have. I can't speak for others but my family and friends (the ones I've discussed it with) are largely in agreement that the ceremony should be about as long as a wedding or normal church service ie roughly an hour. All the realms should be represented but guests in the abbey should mostly be people from charities, organisations, youth groups, religious groups, the services etc. Some politicians should be present, from all the parties and a few from the House of Lords. The dress code should be accessible to all eg what you'd wear to a wedding or garden party. None of us want to see hereditary peers there at all (let alone in ermine & coronets) unless they're close relatives of HMK. The working royals can all dress up in their finery with tiaras etc. We all want the golden coach, lots of horses, marching guards, marines, sailors, airmen and military bands (including pipe bands) to create a spectacle that everyone can enjoy, whether on the streets or on the telly.

Why shouldn’t hereditary peers be there at all?

 

[Lilyflo]

Why shouldn’t hereditary peers be there at all?

The question is why should they be there? What purpose do they serve in national life? They aren't all members of the House of Lords any more so they don't have a governing role (and the HoL can be represented by a handful of members at the coronation, preferably ex MPs as they were previously elected to public office).

 

[Denville]

you coudl say the same about the monarch and the RF.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

The question is why should they be there? What purpose do they serve in national life? They aren't all members of the House of Lords any more so they don't have a governing role (and the HoL can be represented by a handful of members at the coronation, preferably ex MPs as they were previously elected to public office).

You do realize that the Peers are the traditional supporters of the monarchy and some of them are part of The Royal Court. Why should they be sidelined? If they was no monarchy, then there would be no aristocracy.

 

[chabot4me]

60% of the residents of England approve of and want the Monarchy to continue. That being said I would say that a coronation of Charles III is important to them. But in reality, a coronation costs money, it is not cheap. The more money that is spent goes against the government budget. The is a good reason to keep the cost down of have no coronation at all. As long as the people are happy in the UK. This is what matters, not what the rest of the world thinks. But how long will it continue? Society is moving away from marriage, those born out of wedlock are considered to be illegitimate by the church. Will society catch up to the Monarchy, or will it stand it’s ground for what is right in the eyes of the church.

 

[royalistbert]

I'm in favour of a Coronation as full as possible. Why should people today be deprived of the splendour of a Coronation. The economic argument is absurd a drop of water in the £1 trillion budget. Besides many of the elements are already there.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

I don’t think anyone expects a coronation as Grand as in 1953… It’s just that it is a coronation. Not an inaguration of a King, but the coronation of a King and the formal installation of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England…

If that is not allowed to show with the pomp and pageantry that belongs to it - then the Monarch should stand down as Supreme Governor and abolish the coronation.

I don’t think i was the only one who reacted with sheer horror of Anthony Maters suggestion of lounge suits or morning suits instead of white tie…

The order of service and everything around it have always been updated from one coronation to another. And i fully understand why a 74 year old King don’t want to sit there for 3 hours + 2 lengthy processions.. But gods sake - Let it be a coronation and don’t be ashamed of it !

 

[Lilyflo]

You do realize that the Peers are the traditional supporters of the monarchy and some of them are part of The Royal Court. Why should they be sidelined? If they was no monarchy, then there would be no aristocracy.

My family and friends could live very happily without any aristocracy. They contribute nothing to our lives and while we wish them no harm of course, we don't see the point of having them at the coronation (or anywhere else important for that matter). I say this as someone descended from Viscounts, Earls and Dukes (a long time ago!). They are welcome to their titles but they mean nothing to me. I'd rather their places were taken by ordinary people who have gained awards for voluntary service, contributions to medicine, bravery etc. Why should those people be sidelined in favour of someone who just inherited the title Duke or Earl for doing nothing?

 

[Lemon Lyman]

Breaking BBC news. Coronation will be Saturday 6 May 2023. Camilla will be crowned as well.

 

[Drakes]

It's going to be on Saturday 6th May 2023

edit: Lemon Lyman beat me to it!

 

[Lilyflo]

you coudl say the same about the monarch and the RF.

Yes you could but I didn't as I'm a monarchist and believe in having a small working royal family, who support the monarch in his/her constitutional duties.

 

[Alison H]

I hope the FA, the Football League, the RFU and the broadcasters agree to switch all matches that weekend to a Sunday! I know Charles and Camilla aren't into football or rugby, but a lot of people are, and that'll be at the most crucial stage of the season.

No Bank Holiday, then.

Sky have pointed out that it's Archie's birthday, but I don't think that's got any relevance at all: it's just a coincidence.