The Coronation- Then and Now

 

At 12pm, on the 6th of May, Great Britain made their new King and Queen official. King Charles the III and Camilla, Queen Consort, were crowned at Westminster Abbey followed by a lengthy, expensive display of wealth past St James Park- finishing at Buckingham Palace. Charles and Camilla rode past crowds in an air conditioned diamond jubilee state coach, commissioned by Australia in 2012 and weighing in at 3 tonnes. Sticking with the royal tradition of horse and carriage, and choosing the comfier of the two as they disregard the traditional gold state carriage that Queen Elisabeth II rode in for her coronation. When will the Royal family kill tradition and drive over in an Audi?

The taxpayer has funded the event at a hefty price of up to £100 million. Compared to the £20.5 million spent at Queen Elizabeth's, converted in line with inflation from then. Money arguably wasted, as in 15-20 years another coronation of our Prince and Princess of Wales is set to grace the streets of London. An argument not wasted on the thousands of protestors arrested outside as they waved posters claiming Charles is 'not their king'. Growing unrest towards the Royal Family has amassed since Queen Elizabeth II' coronation which was the first to be televised and shown to 27 million viewers who bought or rented TV sets, numbers that were not quite matched for this years coronation - 70 years later. 

The reception of both coronations can be attributed to the circumstances they were held in, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned not long after the victory of WW2, where the Royal Family utilized their military background and empathised with the nation, the future Queen herself handing out blankets and food to the wounded. King Charles and Camilla have not built up the same amount of respect with our country today. Rumours surrounded Charles and Camilla as they were accused of cheating on former spouses throughout their respective marriages, most notably Charles' relationship with the late Princess Diana; a beloved royal known for her class, dignity and generosity. Furthermore, our generation is dictated by internet memes and pop culture, with Charles and Camilla often the face of a viral tweet, mainstream media being a massive influence towards the thoughts and ideas of our young people. For example, Charles' 'sausage fingers' became a sensation, as pictures emerged of the Kings bloated hands.

In a country no longer ruled with an iron fist, the monarchy have lost their power and status. Freedom of speech enables people to actively share their disdain, with no real consequence. Thus demeaning the old - fashioned traditions of the Coronation such as the 'regalia' being held by the next King or Queen. Whereby objects of grandeur such as the Orb, Sceptres and Coronation Spoon, are presented to the Monarch during the official ceremony. This links back to supreme ideas such as the monarch being chosen by God, and should be treated likewise. Other traditions deemed as 'cult-like' are the pledging of allegiance to the King, those present and watching are asked by the pope to repeat' I swear I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.'

These colonialist traditions are outdated and no longer applicable to a modern society. Pledging ourselves to a monarch no longer holds meaning, with the current monarchy offering nothing to this generation than a few memes, and the face of a dying tradition met with less respect and honour each time. 

 In addition, there was a lot of speculation over the title Queen Camilla would take, whether she would be queen consort or given a different title. The Royal Family give the title of prince consort to the husband of a Queen (such was Prince Phillips title) and the wife of a King is called a queen consort. However, the issue remains that Camilla is Charles second wife- royal protocol does not dictate what title to give after a second marriage. In today's society, divorce is common and shouldn't be restricted for royals either. Yet, as proven, the Royal Family are dictated by old, outdated rules. Nevertheless, Camilla was crowned queen consort. 

Both coronations, Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, will be moments in history, some may look at them as proud examples of British heritage- others may see them as displays of wealth and grandeur mocking a nation riddled with poverty. 

If you want to read more about the coronation, follow this link- 

Your complete guide to the King's coronation - BBC News

The Black Sheep of the Royal Family

In the midst of preparation for King Charles coronation, a topic on everyone's lips is who will be in attendance.

The Duke of York, son of the late Queen Elizabeth and brother of King Charles, is reportedly set to attend the big day. Creating controversy as he has not been a working royal since 2020, as well as being stripped off his HRH title in 2022 after sexual assault allegations from a Ms Virginia Giuffre. 

Prince Andrew has amassed many names for himself, derogatory terms revolving around his alleged sex crimes and involvement with Jeffery Epstein. He denies all claims against his involvement in Epstein's multiple defilement of young girls. Despite being pictured with Jeffrey Epstein multiple times around the alleged period Epstein would have been trafficking girls, Prince Andrew denies all involvement. After Epstein's arrest in 2019, accused of sex trafficking a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, Prince Andrew began to face allegations himself with accusations of rape and misconduct.

Epstein may have committed suicide in prison , avoiding the prison sentence he ultimately deserved , but his social circle of the rich and famous did not have such a clean break. Prince Andrew formed a close friendship with Epstein ,for example pictured in 2000 at the races with Gislaine Maxwell- Epstein's partner in crime. Maxwell and Epstein were frequently flown over to royal residences such as Balmoral Castle in attendance with the prince, a sign they were all extremely close.

Maxwell has since been convicted herself, sentenced to 20 years in prison for assisting Epstein in luring in girls for trafficking.

Maxwell made claims she felt bad for her 'dear friend' Andrew after Epstein's death , as documents who were previously sealed were then released with Prince Andrew proving to be a royal with disturbing interests.

Maxwell referring to Andrew as an associate of hers only further implicates him as he denies any close friendship with Maxwell. 

Prince Andrew condemned himself by not issuing any statement after Epstein's arrest , choosing to stay quiet on the issue had only made him look more guilty. 

Nevertheless, Virginia Giuffre sealed the Duke's fate. Her choice to speak out against the esteemed royal was not an easy task, facing similar backlash as most women when making allegations against a powerful man. Virginia claims she was forced to engage in sexual acts with the prince, at the young age of 17. Lured in by Maxwell and Epstein. Her and Prince Andrew reached a settlement in 2022 with the prince still refusing to admit guilt to his crimes. However he agreed to pay Virginia a substantial, undisclosed amount as well as making a donation to her charity for survivors of sexual assault. Albeit not as satisfying as a royal being sentenced to prison, the power of money and privilege being the biggest flaw in the US and UK justice system.

The Duke of York has certainly built a reputation for himself, arguably the black sheep of the family. With the lack of a title , we are set to see him stood elsewhere on the day of the King's coronation- instead of infamously pictured on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of Charles siblings and children.

If you are interested in finding out more, check this link out;

Prince Andrew: Who is the royal and will he attend the coronation? | The Independent