At the coronation celebrations held on Sunday, anyone can wear a crown – even a dog.
A day wearing its golden glasses Crown of King Charles III In an ancient religious ceremony, the festivities become more low-key, with thousands of picnics and street parties held across the UK in his honour, no fancy invitations required.
Charles and Queen Camilla Sunday said in a statement that it was “deeply touched” by the celebration and “deeply grateful to both those who helped make it such a glorious occasion – and to the many who came to show their support.”
his son, Prince William, heir to the throne, said at Sunday’s concert that the service was at the heart of the “magnificent” coronation celebrations and that her father’s first words after entering Westminster Abbey were of the service.
“Because for more than 50 years, in every corner of the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world, he has dedicated himself to serving others, both present and future generations and whose memory should not be neglected,” said William.
William told the crowd that he was “committed to serving all of you… King, Country and Commonwealth. God save the King.”
Sunday’s concert was headlined by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and 1990s boy band Take That.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Under a leaf of greenery in London’s Regent’s Park, Valiant Cheung and his girlfriend appeared to cheer on the new king with neighbors who hugged them when they arrived from Hong Kong. They dressed their loyal and “royal” fluffy white dog Tino with a small purple crown for the occasion.
“This is a new era for the UK,” Cheung said. “We didn’t have these things in Hong Kong. Now, we’re embracing the culture. We want to enjoy it, we want to celebrate it.”
From small villages to capitals, the Union Jack was hung in homes and flown from tables and trees in celebration of the newly crowned monarch. It was printed on napkins and tablecloths, hats and bows. Some wore the colors of the flag like a uniform — dressed in red, white and blue from head to toe and extending to the fingernails.
Community gatherings, part of a British tradition known as the Big Lunch, were intended to bring neighbors together to celebrate the coronation, even as support for the decline of the monarchy. Critics complained about the cost of the coronation at a time of exorbitant living costs amid double-digit inflation.
Thousands of lunches were organized as part of Sunday’s celebrations, including a nightly concert at Windsor Castle.
Charles encouraged residents to engage in volunteer activities on Monday, which the UK declared a public holiday.
The King and Camilla were expected to attend the concert, but did not attend the picnic, leaving that responsibility to other members of the royal family.
William and his wife, Catherine, surprised people picnicking outside the castle before the concert. Dressed much more casually than the day before, they shook hands and Catherine pulled a crying girl into a hug.
Big Lunch 🥪🧃🧁 pic.twitter.com/GgvpFYBWFb
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 7, 2023
The King’s siblings, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Anne, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their wives took charge of lunch for the royal family. Edward was in Cranleigh and his sister hit an event in Swindon. The King’s nieces, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s daughter, were attending a lunch at Windsor.
Organized by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak US First Lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden At the big lunch party held in front of his office. Other guests included Ukrainian refugees and community workers.
Cheers!
Thank you, Rishi and Akshta for welcoming me to your Coronation Big Lunch as we mark this special moment in history. pic.twitter.com/cQyNwHBeWD
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) May 7, 2023
Like a picnic in the park, Downing Street and Sunak’s expanse – even its tea-leaves – were lit up in the nation’s colours.
Sausage rolls and salmon were served with Coronation Chicken — a dish cooked for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation 70 years ago — and Coronation Quiche, which was picked to Charles’s taste and had social media buzzing. Often for the wrong reasons.
Low-key events followed the royalty-laden pageant, which saw the King and Queen crowned together at Westminster Abbey. They are presented with centuries-old swords, scepters and a jeweled golden orb symbolizing the king’s power in medieval tradition, celebrated with liturgies, songs and chants of “God save the king.”
The couple then took to the streets in a golden horse-drawn carriage, leading the largest ceremonial military procession since Charles’ mother’s coronation. About 4,000 soldiers marched through the streets in formation, their crimson sleeves and white gloves swaying in unison to the drums and bugles of a marching band with a troupe of musicians on horseback.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors lined the route in the rain to see it in person. According to ratings published by Barb, a research firm, around 19 million more watched on television in the UK That’s about 40% fewer viewers than Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September.
Not everyone was there to celebrate, however, and criticism continued on Sunday with the arrest of more than 50 protesters, including members of the republican party and environmentalists, who chanted “not my king” to end the use of fossil fuels.
Graham Smith, the leader of the Republic, an anti-monarchy party, said he had planned a peaceful protest and spent 16 hours in police custody when he was arrested.
“These arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in this country,” Smith said. “Every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame.”
The Metropolitan Police acknowledged concerns about the arrests, but defended the force’s actions.
“The inauguration is a once-in-a-generation event and is a key consideration in our assessment,” said Commander Karen Findlay.
As well as celebrating the lunch, hundreds of soldiers marched into Glasgow city center on Sunday to celebrate the coronation.
In Regent’s Park, champagne was on ice and celebrants talked about the novelty of what they had seen. But for 95-year-old Rosemary Mackintosh, the coronation was nothing new, much more vivid than what she had seen on television in 1953 when she was in Zimbabwe.
“We didn’t have TV all day and it was black and white, so it wasn’t as surprising as it was,” he said.
Coronation of King Charles III
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