A major concert featuring the likes of Katy Perry and Lionel Richie and impressive lighting took place outside Windsor Castle on Sunday night to celebrate the historic coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla the previous day.
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With the British flag in hand, around 20,000 spectators gathered in front of the castle west of London to attend this concert, which the organizers say will be broadcast in more than a hundred countries.
Charles and Camilla, smiling, also holding the flag, were in the gallery with several members of the royal family, including William and Kate and their children George and Charlotte.
The Prince of Wales, William, took the stage to pay tribute to his father and had a few words for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September and would be a “very proud mother”.
“Dad, we are all so proud of you,” said the heir to the throne. “For more than 50 years he (Charles, ed.) has dedicated himself to serving others, present and future generations, across Britain, the Commonwealth and the world.”
The evening was hosted by actor Hugh Bonneville, who is best known for his role in the series “Downton Abbey”, which tells the adventures of a noble family and their servants at the beginning of the 20th century.
Americans Lionel Richie and Katy Perry performed some of their hits. The group Take That and the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli were also on the program.
The evening was marked by impressive illuminations on the Castle, where the flags of the Commonwealth countries were projected. In the sky, lighting with drones depicted butterflies, bees, whales and flowers, in homage to the king’s passion for nature.
A dash of humor: A video has been released of Tom Cruise piloting a plane, in which the actor says, “Pilot to pilot. Your Majesty, you can always be my teammate.”
Caroline Mcdonough, a 53-year-old spectator, was very enthusiastic at the end of the concert: “It was a unique experience. (…) People really had fun.”
A day to celebrate
Sunday was also marked by “big lunches” and neighborhood parties across the country. More than 67,000 events were recorded.
“It’s the perfect way to celebrate the event,” beamed AFP’s Annette Cathcart, who attended a luncheon organized in Ashley Green, in the south of England.
But more than 70% of Brits, unmotivated by the coronation, had no intention of attending any celebrations, according to a recent YouGov poll.
On Monday, a bank holiday specially granted for the coronation, Britons were encouraged to take voluntary action.
Buckingham Palace released a statement on Sunday saying Charles and Camilla were “deeply touched” and “deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this such a glorious moment”.
The London Coronation of Charles III. Saturday was marked by a lavish religious ceremony and procession, with all the pomp associated with major events in the monarchy.
Eight months after his accession to the throne after the death of his mother Elizabeth II, the 74-year-old Charles III. crowned in Westminster Abbey in front of 2,300 guests according to a millennia-old, marginally modernized Anglican rite. His 75-year-old wife, Camilla, was also blessed and crowned.
It was the first coronation in 70 years when Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953.
More than 14 million viewers watched live on the BBC as Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the first dignitary of the Anglican religion, placed the heavy crown of Saint Edward on Charles.
But in comparison, 31 million watched Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 on BBC and ITV.
Anti-monarchy protests
Charles is less popular than his mother, Elizabeth II, and anti-monarchists demonstrated in London on Saturday as the carriages rolled by, as well as in Scotland and Wales. About 15% of Britons think the monarchy should be abolished.
Six officials of the anti-monarchy group Republic, including its leader Graham Smith, were arrested by police on Saturday morning and were heavily criticized.
They were released on Saturday evening.
“Don’t be fooled. The right to peaceful protest no longer exists in the UK,” Graham Smith tweeted.
In all, police said they arrested 52 people on Saturday “on charges of disturbing public order, breaching the peace and conspiring to cause a public disturbance in connection with the coronation.”