What you don’t do to be an “up to date” sovereign, rejuvenate the monarchy and wink at the very young as well as the boomers. Seventy-six years after the coronation of his mother – Queen Elizabeth II who for the ceremony chose the Canadian composer Healey Willan to compose the hymn to accompany the rite – King Charles III has decided to accompany his coronation scheduled for next May 6 with a playlist of contemporary music.
In fact, Carlo and Camilla have launched an official website that will accompany the event complete with a playlist of songs to get all the subjects into the coronation mood. In addition to the website, the Department has released a two-hour Coronation Celebration Playlist on Spotify. The 27-song list begins with The Beatles’ Come Together and continues with predominantly British bands and artists, including Coldplay, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Harry Styles, Queen, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder, the Spice Girls, The Kinks, The Who and Tom Jones. The playlist ends rightly with the song King by Years & Years.
Buckingham Palace has officially declared it: “The coronation will reflect the role of the monarch today and look to the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pomp”.
The timetable for the Big Day
According to the website, the day of the ceremony will begin with the king’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, where King Charles and his queen consort Camilla will be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Then, the newly crowned couple will be joined by other members of the royal family for a larger and more solemn procession back to Buckingham Palace, where (as per tradition) they will all appear together on the iconic balcony. All except Harry and Meghan who will be present at the ceremony, but will not appear in the official performances or in the ritual photos.
The coronation concert will be broadcast live from Windsor Castle the following day to celebrate the new king. The lineup of artists hasn’t been announced yet, but according to the website, the evening will involve iconic venues across the UK hosting projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations. Tickets for the concert will be given away to the public through a national vote and the evening will also be attended by volunteers from some of the charities chosen by the king and queen consort. Monday has also been proclaimed by the Prime Minister as a special public holiday to give the British public a chance to engage in community service through the Big Help Out volunteer campaign.
The Harry & Meghan dilemma
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have received the official invitation to the coronation of King Charles III. Despite the instability of relations with the royal family, the organizers are reportedly developing a plan to avoid embarrassing public meetings between Harry and the other family members. In fact, if the Sussexes participate, it is thought they will have no formal role and will not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Furthermore, the two apparently have been formally asked not to approach the Prince and Princess of Wales. A bit like what happened at the famous Jubilee, in which Harry and Meghan sat in the rear of the Church, well away from William and Kate.