Dhe coronation of Charles III. will be held at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. Tuesday’s announcement puts an end to speculation about the date but not to the form of the ceremony, which is being organized by the Duke of Norfolk under the guise of Operation Golden Orb. Buckingham Palace only confirmed that Queen Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband and that the ceremony will reflect “the role of the monarch today” – both forward-looking and traditional.
May 6th is also the fourth birthday of Archie, the son of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, whose participation in the coronation is further in doubt. The date falls on the Saturday after May Day, which has been observed on the first Monday of the month in Britain since 1978, rather than 1 May elsewhere. In the coming year, the day of the week and the date fit. Therefore, as soon as May 6th was confirmed as the coronation day, calls were made for the May Day to be moved to the following Monday so that the nation could celebrate the occasion with an extended weekend. The Saturday should not least have been chosen to protect the economy.
Earlier, reports that the king was planning to mark the changing times of the past 70 years with a smaller and simpler ceremony had drawn opposition from the conservative media to a “cheap coronation”. The Mail on Sunday claims the ceremony has been cut from the three hours that the service at Westminster Abbey took at the coronation of Elizabeth II in June 1953 to just over an hour. What is not mentioned is that the king, after the “longest apprenticeship in the world”, is heading towards 75 next year, while his mother, at 26, was more able to cope with the exertions of this ceremonial, symbolic and – with the anointing – also deeply religious occasion.
Tightening of the guest list to 2000 people
The king will reportedly make use of the golden state carriage, which his mother complained looked luxurious but was extremely uncomfortable. However, the prospect of tightening the guest list from 8,000 to 2,000 guests and the abandonment of outdated rituals such as the handing over of a gold bar, which is perceived as insensitive in the current climate, testify to the new approach. Also, a more relaxed dress code is in, with street suits rather than formal gowns or cutaways, some commentators sniffed. The king, one insider was quoted as saying, is attuned to public mood on these issues and has an instinctive dislike of pomp in the wrong conditions. A more modest event had always been planned. The current economic challenges would have accelerated this development.
Traditionalists like historian Andrew Roberts counter that the coronation may prove to ease financial worries. Coronations would give rise to a national celebration. They only take place once in a generation, said Roberts: “If this is perceived as a ‘cheap crown’, it will be eye-opening.” Britain can only maintain its gentle power if such occasions are well staged.
