May 6th, long-awaited day for the British. But also long. Very long. At 6am the doors opened to anyone wishing to enter The Mall, the broad avenue where several hundred Brits (and a few unsuspecting tourists) had camped almost a week earlier. At seven it was full. By 09:30 the approaches from the adjacent streets or from Trafalgar were already closed to latecomers who wanted to see the procession bringing Charles III. of England and his wife Camilla from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. There they would become crowned kings of the United Kingdom eight months minus two days after their proclamation.
As happened to his mother, Isabel II, on June 6, 1953, when she traveled the same route (albeit a much longer one) in her golden carriage, the rain was Carlos’ companion. Also by the thousands of compatriots who took to the streets to see the celebrations, especially on the screens set up in various parks in the city such as Saint James, next to the palace. There they pulled out first their picnic blankets and later their flag-colored raincoats to weather a day of heavy downpours combined with moments of softer water. But the point is that the rain hasn’t stopped for a moment since the king left the palace for his big moment and until his return.
A young couple gave their two children tea from a large black thermos. “Mom, I just can’t see anything,” complained the eldest, barely getting up a meter from the ground. “Don’t worry, the most important thing is not to see her; It’s the atmosphere, the people, everything,” his mother replied. “And that you will remember this day for the rest of your life,” a third woman replied to the little boy, who looked at him wide-eyed and understood nothing while his Mother nodded in agreement.Babies and children were regulars on the lawns of London’s parks, as were large groups of friends wearing plastic or crocheted crowns, couples sheltering from the rain, families clinking glasses of champagne in paper cups the flag of the Kingdom was emblazoned.All combinations were possible, the case was to be celebrated.
Several people walked past a giant screen in central London on Saturday showing an image of King Charles III. of Great Britain during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Emilio Morenatti (AP)
As the ceremony progressed, the air grew wetter and wetter and the parks emptied, but those who stayed knew they wanted to be there. If the first God save the king (God save the king) among those present was rather shy when the Archbishop of Canterbury donned the crown of Saint Edward to King Charles, the meadow of Saint James erupted in jubilation for his monarch. The audience also applauded the moments when Guillermo, his eldest son, pays homage to him as a gentleman and kneels before him, as well as the appearance of his heir Jorge in the foreground, causing a deep sigh. Camila was the other star of the day, both on her entrance into the Abbey and particularly when the crown of Queen Mary of Teck rested on her. Those who did not arouse any animosity, for better or for worse, were Enrique and Andrés, son and brother of Carlos, who were absolutely discreet at the ceremony and in public. Some stone guests for Carlos and also for the city.
The coronation is no ordinary party. First of all, because the last one took place exactly 70 years ago minus a month and few of those present witnessed it. To continue, because it has a celebratory component, yes, but above all a governmental, political and religious component that goes beyond an anniversary, which are the last few celebrations that Brits are used to. Thus, the two hours of liturgy were also serene for the congregation, who generally stood for the most solemn moments and crossed themselves or let out an “amen” for the shirt collar. But when the crown arrived, the departure from Westminster, and the procession back, all was joy. The rain that had already drenched everyone from security guards to journalists was just one more.
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It was May and it was August. The Union Jack, present everywhere, in hundreds of unofficial souvenir shops with their flags and mugs of Carlos and the rest of the Windsors (even Diana). The official shop, located on the side of Buckingham Palace, sold key fobs for €7, mugs for €34 and even a bottle of sparkling wine for €51 (those who wanted to add two glasses of fine crystal had to add another €170). One of the managers at the Buckingham store confirmed it: Everything is devastated. The four young Spaniards who sold the hand program around The Mall for 10 pounds (11.3 euros) also said: “It’s incredible how it sells.” Nothing was cheap, but nobody went home empty-handed.
A sea of umbrellas crossed on Saturday after the coronation of Carlos III. down London’s Avenue The Mall as citizens waited on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the greeting from the royal family.Dan Mullan (Getty Images)
Since three in the morning, Helios Gala, his wife and two other colleagues have been selling breakfast in Saint James Park with their Pabellón food truck, selling Venezuelan groceries. It wasn’t even 8:20pm when they had to close. Gala insists he felt overwhelmed: “They wanted to lynch me.” They had 200 customers with about two or three meals per customer; so many that they have died of success. “We expected it, but we lacked some practice because we don’t do breakfast. We were supposed to start serving food at 11am, but we started at 9am.” They’ve been in business for seven years, have a market stall on the Southbank every weekend, “and this little toy that drives around London,” he said proud of the camper. They were expecting to give nearly 1,000 meals but the rain has marred a deal meant to help them and more to round out the month’s box.
The day was long. And of course it ended up in the 3,500 or so pubs spread across the city that are open until 11pm and want to serve the not inconsiderable amount of 62 million pints of beer on this long weekend (including a public holiday including Monday). Mary Hersey and Tracey Ball from South West London watched the coronation of The Old Star just 500 meters from the capital. They spoke to Bea, a Brazilian tourist, about whether staying in California was a good idea for Meghan Markle. They’ve already stopped counting how many pints they have while chatting and buying chips with the patrons. They pretended to be the guy who lowered the blinds at 11am. Without hurry. The day was definitely long. Very long.
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