London (AP) – The United Kingdom celebrated the coronation of King Charles III over the weekend with much pomp and jubilation. and his wife Camila. The celebrations were also accompanied by protests and criticism of police repression.
In a historic ceremony with centuries-old elements, the 74-year-old monarch was presented with the heavy, glittering Edwardian crown in front of 2,000 guests from around the world and millions of television viewers.
Pomp and history at Westminster Abbey
Dressed in royal robes, Charles took the coronation oath in the festively decorated church, was anointed with sacred oil, and accepted an oath of allegiance from heir apparent William and his people. In addition to Carlos, Camilla was also anointed and crowned queen, an express wish of Queen Elizabeth II, who died last year.
Charles’ second son, Prince Harry, arrived at his father’s big day without his family and had to settle for a third-row seat. After the denunciations in several interviews and his memories, the ditch between Harry and Meghan towards the royal family has deepened a lot.
On the other hand, the children of William and Princess Kate were delighted, especially five-year-old Prince Louis, who yawned profusely shortly after the coronation. Nine-year-old Prince George had a special role: he and three other children served as a page of honor for their grandfather Charles. The pompous outfits of other royals, like Kate in a red and blue robe and silver headband, caused a stir.
With the golden carriage passing wet fans
After the service, the newly crowned royal couple were celebrated by the masses: Charles and Camilla drove the more than 260 year old Golden State Coach, on a magnificent train with thousands of soldiers from the British Army and Commonwealth states. – Back to Buckingham Palace.
Many of the thousands upon thousands of royal fans who cheered for them were already drenched: it had been pouring rain in London since morning. Nonetheless, the square in front of Buckingham Palace filled up before the Royal Family gathered on their balcony and waved to the crowd. Charles and Camilla even came back for a little encore after the first performance. Queen Elizabeth II is said to have given five encores 70 years ago.
strong police repression
However, the jubilation was also mixed with criticism of the police repression of the protesters: several parliamentarians expressed their concern. The head of the Republic organization, Graham Smith, was only released after 4 p.m. on Sunday night and his mobile phone was confiscated. He criticized that the right to peaceful protest no longer existed in Britain.
The Conservative government recently restricted the right to demonstrate again. At the coronation, the suspicion that there might be a serious disturbance was enough for the police to arrest them. In total, London police arrested 52 people during the celebrations, according to activists, in many cases for no reason. Operations manager Karen Findlay, on the other hand, defended the procedure as proportionate, and government officials also praised the police for their “balanced” behaviour.
“Great Coronation Luncheon”
On Sunday, the celebrations initially continued with street parties across the country. During the so-called Great Coronation Luncheon, communities across the country hosted neighborhood festivals, where residents and other guests often gathered at long tables to eat lunch and toast together. A separate recipe was even published for the festival: the “Coronation Quiche” with spinach, beans and tarragon.
“Regardless of whether this is your first ‘Big Lunch’ or it’s on the calendar every year, we send our best wishes to everyone there,” the newly crowned royal couple wrote in a message on the family’s Instagram channel. real. “We hope it will be a great event for everyone.” A palace spokesman also said the royal couple were “deeply moved” after the celebrations and very grateful to all who had contributed.
On an official website you can look up where the street festivals are registered. Organized by local communities, many across the country gathered at long, colorfully decorated tables for lunch and toasts; some royals also wanted to stop by. This is how Charles’s sister, Princess Anne (72) and her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence (68), appeared at a celebration in Swindon. Prince Edward (59) and his wife Sophie (58) attended a celebration in Cranleigh, Surrey.
The heir to the throne, Prince William and his wife Kate, surprised several hundred royal fans near their home in Windsor on Sunday afternoon ahead of the grand coronation concert with a visit to the Long Walk in front of Windsor Castle.
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