A Coronation fit for History

As Ronnie Corbett would say, "I know my place". It felt like that over the Coronation weekend as we watched the magnificent or grotesque (you decide) processions to and from Westminster Abbey and the ceremony inside the Abbey. They were finely performed by a cast of thousands who had taken the King's shilling to become players in the pomp and circumstance of King Charles III's Coronation for a slowly evolving monarchy. Over the centuries the monarchy has transgressed from the embodiment of absolute power to a soap opera that keeps on giving. What has not changed is the embedded entitlement that filters down through society and is maintained today by the subtle inclusion of celebrities to ensure that it thrives through the lens of a largely supportive press and media. In reality, it is a marriage of inherited elitism with populist culture. 

I had not intended to watch the Coronation and assumed it would take place on Monday, a public holiday. But it was raining and Gregor, who was staying overnight, switched on the TV on Saturday morning. In the rain-filled streets of London, thousands of people were camping out along the Mall, and others were arriving on early morning trains and buses. The sultry voice of Kirsty Young was interviewing the said celebrities who had been courted by the monarch. It rained on the parade as thousands of relentlessly rehearsed soldiers, sailors, horses, and carriages infiltrated by Bentleys, and Range Rovers, all in uniform or sparkingly clean, clipped and clopped along the Mall and down Whitehall. Images were broadcast to the nation and the world of a happy and glorious country where the monarchy has been long to reign over us as well the other parts of the empire that have not yet seceded.

The seating arrangements inside Westminster Abbey reflected a pecking order that has stood the test of time. The Royal Family and their extended cast of grandees along with world leaders, the leaders of armed forces, the various religions, then a list of celebrities that have featured in recent editions of the Tatler or Vanity Fair or been cajoled in some of the King's charitable causes. And in the stalls the charity workers, community stalwarts and NHS staff as a reward for looking after the King's subjects.

The service itself was a jumble sale of centuries-old traditions and strange rituals with crowns, sceptres, orbs, oaths and holy oils that mingled with some superb musical interludes performed by orchestras and choirs. The service was supposed to last 90 minutes but with extra time lasted 2 hours. The invitees were to take their seats an hour or so before the King arrived and had to wait for twenty minutes or so after he was led out by the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, one of the very few key players not looking like an escapee from a pantomime. There was no half-time for a butter pie and a visit to the toilet and like most city centres nowadays, the Abbey has no public toilets so aged bladders were at bursting point.

I tried to reflect on what the Coronation had done to influence my perception of the monarchy. King Charles has in some ways exceeded my expectations since his arrival on the throne. Mainly by his focus on climate change, young people,  and his charitable works. However, despite the claims of a slimmed Coronation and invitations to the Great British public at the expense of MPs and their partners, it didn't feel like that. It was a hotchpotch of elaborately enacted customs, hand-held weaponry, and stilted readings whilst our multi-layers of leaders showed docile deference to the King. A costume drama that even Netflix couldn't afford to make. According to the Government, it is not possible to give the cost of the Coronation before the event but estimates of about £100m have been made. If its anything like the Covid Test and Trace estimates this could be massively exceeded and let's not forget that an extra public holiday reduces the GDP of the UK by 0.4%

In this respect, the monarchy is still a massive cost to the country and it is unwilling to be transparent about its wealth and how this is acquired or managed. Despite the efforts of the working Royals to generate goodwill by carrying out numerous engagements, they still seem stage-managed to show the status of the monarchy. A stark contrast with the Nordic and Dutch monarchies which are more informal and have a far lighter carbon footprint. They are more in keeping with an egalitarian culture that the UK only pretends to observe.

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