Tuesday, May 09, 2023

The Guardian View on Coronation Day: A Mix of Serious and Absurd

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The crowning of King Charles III was rooted in Britain’s past but disconnected from its future
King Charles III and Queen Camilla. ‘It bears repeating that there was no constitutional need for the coronation.’ Photograph: Shutterstock

For many, the coronation of King Charles III was another great British occasion in a seamless tradition. That was the way the ever respectful broadcasters mostly saw it. For others, though, the coronation was either an affront to the way we live now or, perhaps in most cases, just an irrelevance. Most people had other things to do with their time than watch the events in Westminster Abbey and the streets of London.

True, the crowds in the Mall on Saturday represent something real about modern Britain. But they are only one part of the weekend story. Other parts matter too. In Glasgow and Cardiff there were demonstrations under Not My King banners. At Anfield, Liverpool football supporters drowned out the national anthem that was being played to mark the occasion. » | Editorial | Sunday, May 7, 2023

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Protesters in handcuffs and nonstop bling: this coronation has been an embarrassment: Other European royals would never have risked a display on this scale. From the much-mocked pledge of allegiance onwards, Charles’s gamble has gone terribly wrong »

Are we supposed to believe in the 'Divine Right of Kings'? Isn't that what that anointing oil was all about? If we are, count me out! I could never believe in that! Surely, one would have to have lost one's marbles to believe in such an absurd notion. – © Mark Alexander

Après l'extravagance pour la famille royale, la pénurie pour les paysans ! – © Mark Alexander