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.'
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
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