I may be writing this in advance of the coronation of King Charles III, but it doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see how it will all play out.
America’s female TV reporters will be at the scene sporting jaunty fascinator hats, “The Today Show” will air a segment on how to make “Coronation Chicken” and “Good Morning America” will be desperately looking for American tourists in the crowds to interview.
Once again, most people on this side of the pond will be transfixed by the colorful pageantry while those closer to the action will be taking it in their stride. It takes a lot to impress most Brits, and quite frankly they seem more excited by the extra public holiday than the opportunity to see history in the making.
On a recent visit back to my English hometown, I spoke to friends and family of all ages to gauge their opinion of the whole thing. Not one person said they would be venturing into London for the big day despite it being only a quick train ride away.
It seems for all the millions of people we see smiling and waving on TV, there are far more at home watching with their feet up and a cup of tea.
Having said that, one or two of them did say they might be go to a street party. For those who don’t know, that’s the way we celebrate all happy royal occasions. It’s like a block party, only with scones, finger sandwiches and Union Jack bunting.
That’s not to say people aren’t pleased to see the king finally crowned after arguably the longest apprenticeship in history. There’s been a suitable period of mourning since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September and now it’s time to celebrate the country’s next chapter.
Although the event has been widely described as a scaled-back version of the last coronation in 1953, I don’t imagine royal watchers will be disappointed. However, this time we’re going to have two monarchs for the price of one as the king’s wife, Camilla, is going to be crowned queen, instead of queen consort.
Although she’ll be doing the same job, supporting her husband by working hard on behalf of the crown, it really is a big deal. King Charles’ father, the late Prince Philip, was not crowned king — it just wasn’t the done thing. I realize times change, but I can’t help but wonder what’s behind all this. Is it a sign of the king’s great love for his wife or the feather in the cap for her public relations people?
For years, Camilla was very unpopular with the British public because of her relationship with the king while he was still married to Diana. I guess the whole “There were three of us in this marriage,” as Diana once put it, depends on how you look at it.
We had been led to believe that Charles was an absolute bounder, carrying on with a previous beau behind his beautiful young wife’s back. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. Today Camilla’s story can be seen as that of a woman denied marriage to the love her life because he was a prince and she a commoner. (Try telling that to the Hallmark Channel.)
Instead, she was forced to watch from the sidelines as he was wed in a fairy-tale ceremony to someone more on his social level. Sadly, we know how that turned out.
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Two divorces later, when they were finally free to marry, the PR experts ensured we got to see the other side of Camilla as she kept her head down and got on with the job. That may have slowly endeared her to many of us but does that give her the right to be queen? I suppose the answer is yes if you are married to the king.
Charles also has a bit of a checkered past. Those of us who grew up alongside him still think of him as a tree hugger who famously spoke to his plants. Back in the ’80s when it was first reported, we all sniggered and thought he was nuts. It’s ironic that all these years later, he now seems to have been ahead of his time.
I’m still not sure about talking to plants, but if he’s a king concerned about the future of the planet, I’m all for it.
I’m not sure I’ll ever understand Americans’ obsession with the royal family, especially because it was your forefathers who cut ties with the motherland in 1776. I’m assuming it’s because you have a romanticized notion of kings and queens, princes and princesses that comes from watching old movies and romance novels.
As a dual citizen, my American side is disappointed I couldn’t be in London for the big day while my British side is glad not to be among the crowds who will likely be soaked by spring rain. But whatever happens, I’m confident my countrymen will pull it off with their usual pomp and circumstance — and a small dollop of humor on the side.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.