buckingham Palace is on alert. Despite the fanfare, pomp and ceremony anticipated for months by the international media, most of the Britons – especially among the younger ones – are rather disinterested in the Coronation of King Charles. Too many are ready to admit that, on Saturday 6 May, they will not follow the event live on television. They street party, the famous street parties that are supposed to celebrate the historic occasion by uniting the whole country, have not garnered the hoped-for success. What does the ruler look like?
The Coronation of King Charles receives low acclaim
King Charles wanted a quiet celebration, but compared to Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last year, his Coronation really risks ending up in oblivion of the annals of royalist history. Apart from the diehard fans who have been camped out in London for days along the route of the Royal procession, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, apathy reigns in the rest of the country. And according to a recent survey conducted by the English agency You goveven two-thirds of the British declare that they have no interest in the ceremony.
Charles does not inspire, young people would prefer King William
Numerous young people interviewed these days by the English broadcaster BBC they consider the Coronation unnecessary, given that Charles is already king, and a huge waste of funds (about 250 million pounds) coming mostly from taxpayers. In a time of severe financial crisis, they say, they would prefer to see them used elsewhere, such as in improving the health system. And many admit that, if William were to be crowned on Saturday, they would be much more willing to attend the ceremony.
Charles and Camilla will be crowned in Westminster on Saturday 6 May 2023 (Getty Images)
Too few street party for King Charles
From Saturday 6 to Monday 8, the day proclaimed for the occasion a national holiday in Great Britain, the traditional street parties will take place. But requests for permits to organize them by closing roads to traffic, received in recent months in the municipal offices of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have been very few: just over three thousand, a paltry figure compared to the huge number that had celebrated the Platinum Jubilee. In June 2022, for Queen Elizabeth, in fact, 16 thousand had been organized.
Queen Elizabeth once again beats her son King Charles
If in London the number of street party inspired by the new king appears larger, in the nearby, large county of Kent, for example, therefore, not far from the capital, only 300 are expected. Last year, however, the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II he had counted 600 in the same area. And in Scotland, in a metropolis like Glasgow, one of the largest cities in the United Kingdom, there won’t even be one.
The tents of royalist fans along the procession route in London, May 2023 (Getty Images)
The final affront to King Charles and Queen Camilla
In addition, numerous ticketed events inspired by the Coronation – from plays to cabaret performances, from picnics in the park near the house to afternoon tea Royal, afternoon tea with sandwiches and pastries long associated with the Windsors, have been canceled because tickets remained unsold. An affront to King Charles who, while enjoying increasing popularity compared to the past, still doesn’t convince most of his subjects.
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