The first coronation of a British king or queen in my lifetime – in fact, the first coronation in my parents’ lifetime – is finished.
King Charles III is now officially installed, nearly eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Given the length of Elizabeth’s reign, and given Charles’ age at this time – he turns 75 later this year – he’ll certainly be at the helm of the monarchy for much less time than his beloved mother.
It was the large, elaborate ceremony you would expect. An enormous crowd gathered at Westminster Abbey to be there. The photos of the sea of humanity were stunning. While the monarchy certainly has more than its fair share of detractors, there is no shortage of people who continue to support the Royal Family, and many of the biggest fans were eager to be part of history.
I have no doubt that people from around the world were part of the overflowing crowd. And I would expect some from Canada were present.
There was a concert to celebrate Charles becoming king, and people were abuzz about who was present and what they were wearing.
You had political leaders from around the world who were present as well, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And while Canada’s PM has given us lots of reasons to criticize him during his tenure, this was one event that he absolutely needed to attend.
I didn’t watch the coronation. For starters, coverage began in the middle of the night. On a Saturday. I wasn’t going to get up in the middle of the night to watch a ceremony that will have no real bearing on me, personally or professionally.
But I’m sure there were those who did get up early, or who watched for a little while after getting home from a job that requires shift work.
I didn’t PVR it, either. But I did PVR the Kentucky Derby later in the day. I guess we know which event meant more to me. (I’m not sure which event had more bizarre fashion, the ceremony or the horse race).
For me, the best part of him becoming king was earlier this year, when a horse named Noble was selected to be gifted to Charles in honour of his coronation. Noble, of course, was named by Estevan resident Kolton Tweed a few years ago.
The succession comes at an interesting time for the monarchy. A recently-released survey shows that a minority of Canadians believe we should still have the monarchy. They don’t see the point in having the king or queen.
And questions do need to be asked. What purpose does the monarchy serve for this country? Are our lives richer or better because we have a monarch? Or are we clinging to this because it’s something we’ve always done.
Another question that needs to be asked: are we simply just better off continuing to have a monarchy, rather than going through what would be a costly process to distance ourselves from the royals?
These are questions that will continue to be asked, not just here, but in other Commonwealth nations.
Say what you will about the monarchy, but you can’t deny that Elizabeth carried herself with the class and the dignity one would expect from someone in her role. You might not like the monarchy. You might have doubts about some members of the Royal Family. But Elizabeth? She was everything the queen should be.
And you have to think that some people weren’t keen to ask some tough questions as long as Elizabeth presided over the throne.
You also have to wonder whether the support for the monarchy is there with younger generations as it was among those who are older.
I’m sure Charles is going to be a fine king. He learned from the best on how to conduct himself with grace while facing constant scrutiny. He certainly had a lengthy apprenticeship while being first in line to the throne.
Charles is going to face a lot of challenges in the coming years, ranging from the fractured relationships that currently exist in his family, to trying to follow in the footsteps of his mother.
And he’s going to need to boost support and confidence in the Royal Family. That will be much more difficult.
