Thousands of people took to the streets of central London on Saturday to celebrate the coronation of Carlos III and Camilaon a festive day despite the heavy rain that fell on the British capital.
From early in the morning, the emotion of the assistants gathered in the outskirts of the central Green Park was palpable, waiting to be able to see the kings in their carriage during the procession that left Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.
Not only English, but also numerous visitors from the United States, Austria, France, Brazil and even Japan covered themselves with the British flag, known as the Union Jack, and carried images with the face of the king, ready to live first-hand a unique moment in history. recent history.
Despite the harsh weather in the British capital, the atmosphere in the streets of London was jovial and festive.
Screens abounded showing the coronation minute by minute, flags and portraits of Carlos and Camila in the shop windows, and even large crowns over the bus stops in the city center, a display that demonstrates the influence of the British monarchy in the United Kingdom. of the 21st century.
Parallel to the festivities, in the central Trafalgar Square, one of the stages through which the royal procession passed, there was a large protest against the monarchy.
Surrounded by numerous police officers, the protesters shouted and carried banners reading “Not my King” (“Not my king”).
day for history
Sue Lewis-Badgett and her family came to London from the county of Surrey, southwest of the capital, to attend the coronation day. The woman told EFE that “there is no event like it in the whole world.”
The public gathered on the route of the royal procession agreed to underline the differences with respect to the acts of 1953, when Elizabeth II was crowned, when the queen took a mass bath during a much longer parade than today .
“Funny”, “historical”, “impressive” and “exaggerated” are some of the adjectives with which the attendees described this monumental ceremony, which left no one indifferent.
Although Carlos’s popularity has waned in recent months, according to polls, Lewis-Badgett insisted that “Republicans are a minority” in the UK.
A large number of foreign visitors came to London expressly for the coronation, as is the case with a group of French professors, who assured EFE that the ceremony has “exceeded their expectations.” “We are big ‘fans’ of Isabel II, we adore her, you cannot compare Carlos with Isabel,” one of them pointed out.
THE MONARCHY AS A UNIFIING ELEMENT
Alexandre McMorrow, a sales executive in the financial district, expressed the sentiment, shared by many Britons, that “the monarchy acts as a unifying element between the nations that make up the United Kingdom and the members of the Commonwealth.”
However, among those attending the procession there seemed to be a consensus about their preference for Elizabeth II over their eldest son, and many of them assured that they hope to be able to attend the coronation of William, current Prince of Wales, in the future.
“I was a great admirer of the queen, although not so much of Carlos,” Nicolas Fugler, director of New & Lingwood, a traditional tailor shop in the wealthy Mayfair neighborhood, told EFE. “He has a lot of work ahead of him to reach that level, his mother’s shadow is too long,” he reflected.
“Despite the bad press generated as a result of the Lady Diana tragedy and other scandals, the king has known how to throw himself into charitable work in recent years and the fight against climate change, modernizing the image of the monarchy,” he added. McMorrow.
Many of the attendees also highlighted that Carlos had been waiting for his coronation for decades and, finally, “his time has come.” EFE
What a #Coronation
Thank you to everyone who made today so special
📸 View a selection of images from the day athttps://t.co/Kxs1qLi509 pic.twitter.com/NiARa2Ttim
— Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) May 6, 2023