The bloodshed of a horse, a royal child bored during the ceremony, a tribe supporting Charles III. pays homage… Franceinfo has made a selection of amazing moments that happened on Saturday.
At the end of a historic day with a precise program, Saturday May 6th, King Charles III. and Queen Camille was crowned in London (UK) eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Westminster Abbey, where the Archbishop of Canterbury Charles III. presented the insignia, was the scene of a great, solemn and magnificent ceremony. Not quite planned and sometimes a bit amusing moments shaped the day anyway. Franceinfo has made a small illustrated selection.
1 A rearing horse during the procession
On the way back from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, a rider momentarily lost control of his horse. The animal backed up sharply and crashed into the crowd, ramming some guards and members of the public. The incident occurred as the motorcade was following the golden carriage carrying the Gold State Coach, King Charles III. and brought Queen Camilla back to the palace after the religious ceremony.
During the coronation procession of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla on May 6 in London, United Kingdom, reverses a horse and rams the public. (SEBASTIEN BOZON / POOL / AFP)
2 A Pacific tribe who ruled Charles III
The prize for the most amazing celebration of Charles III’s coronation. undoubtedly goes to Tanna, a volcanic island in the south of the Vanuatu archipelago, which believes the king’s father, Prince Philip, to be a god. The origin of this belief is not clearly explained, but according to anthropologists it is based on an ancient prophecy that predicts the return of a white-skinned son from the island. However, the prince visited the island in the 1970s.
The island therefore celebrated the sovereign’s coronation in its own way, far from the splendor of Westminster. In the hills covered with tropical vegetation, a thousand men, women and children, dressed in loincloths, danced and sang before a banquet of the best local dishes, accompanied by kava, a spicy and slightly alcoholic drink made from roots that is part of the Pacific traditions.
Villagers of Iaohnanen and Yakel on Tanna Island in Vanuatu pose with a portrait of King Charles III, May 6, 2023. (BEN BOHANE / AFP)
3 The Bored Prince Louis
The religious ceremony lasted two hours and young Prince Louis, son of Princess Kate and Prince William, did not hide his boredom. At Westminster Abbey he sat in the front row and the photographers were able to immortalize his moments of distraction between yawns and concentration on the ceiling. According to British daily The Telegraph, the young prince, aged just 5, was able to benefit from breaks during the ceremony.
Prince Louis during the religious coronation ceremony of King Charles III, his grandfather, on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, London (UK). (YUI MOK/POOL/AFP)
Prince Louis during the religious coronation ceremony of King Charles III, his grandfather, on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, London (UK). (YUI MOK/POOL/AFP)
4 The singer Katy Perry struggling to find her place
American singer Katy Perry, who will perform a concert on Sunday to close this weekend of celebrations, was also scheduled for the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The unfortunate, dressed all in pink, wandered the building for minutes in search of her seat. She had this amused tweet late Saturday afternoon: “By the way guys don’t worry I found my spot!”