I am one of those old relics who remember the 1953 coronation. My grandparents got a TV specially for the occasion. I watched but was more interested to watch on it the FA cup final, the Stanley Matthews final.
I was invited to a coronation party at a neighbour's house. This was good practice for my future "career" and endless seminars and conferences and team buildings.. I stood around feeling embarrassed . I was too shy to speak to anyone and no one spoke to me. There was a clown to entertain us. Looking back, he was probably a paedophile although they had not been invented in 1953. When I left the party I discovered that my flies were undone. I do not blame the clown or, indeed, the crown.
I also watched the coronation in colour at the cinema and who could forget Queen Salote of Tonga. Someone asked Noel Coward who that little man was who was sharing Salote's carriage. Coward replied: "He is her lunch."
I did not watch this coronation. Perhaps next time.
Coming off canvassing for Labour and the results 2 days before the Coronation.... I was struck by your “thirds” Suzanne,
“ and then the indifferent, those who simply were disinterested in the whole event.”
Sadly, this third of disinterested, as you say, are the ones to worry about. Left stranded by the warring, balanced opposites: Royalists v Republican; Labour v Conservative or Left v Right: Rowling v Jones.... The disinterested, even disintegrated, are what we used to call floating voters but maybe they just don’t vote... I kept hearing this third, when canvassing saying, “They are all the same.... I literally switch off the news.... don’t do Social Media.... I won’t be voting...”
So, this leaves, in the domains I listed above, and all the other polar tribal opposites, around the world, baying, often masked, behind banal placards, at each other....
What a screaming mess we’re in... we need (or are we vainly, mutely waiting for?) one group, to emerge and capture some defensible ethics to win over the populace and so drive some kind of consensual vision for a better environment in which to live.... and when I say environment… I
Mean human, natural, political, spiritual, moral, cultural everything…. Surely, if we spent decent time talking and listening, we’d find those “common goods” I’ve always felt most of us hold to…. Maybe that’s what AI will do for us…
Not a great fan of the monarchy but a fascinating few hours of telly. Brilliantly analysed and described Suzanne. We definitely were watching the same coverage. If this country ever becomes a republic my overwhelming fear is who on earth would the British people elect as president. Ant? Dec? The bloke off Repair Shop? Penny Mordaunt clearly threw her hat in the ring yesterday. Strange rituals seemed preferable yesterday to letting the British voters loose on choosing a suitable president. Seeing Johnson, Truss and Sunak made my bold run cold. There were certainly very few candidates in the Abbey. So for the moment this weird family is what we are stuck with. Hang on, though! President Moore has a certain ring to it...
I just love that phrase (I assume spillchicker created?) .”...made my bold run cold”. I’m going to use that.... makes me think that Spellchecker and Auto correct are really early insurgents of AI....
I did watch it with Twitter and it was pretty mad. My Twitter feed was amusing for the most part but I don't care much about the monarchy, who have had their day, probably. Still, what to replace them with? I can recommend "The Invention of Tradition" by Eric Hobsbawm, if you have not already read it.
Queen Suzanne gets my vote. Especially if you keep the music, which was sublime. Except for Andrew Lloyd Webber as usual.
And I will never forget Princess Diana. As I’ll never forget glimpsing those two boys following their mother’s coffin, knowing they’d be scarred for life by being made to perform that grotesque and cruel ritual.
We all know the Royal Family (with the exception of Princess Anne who is at least interesting) are there because of no viable alternative. I don’t want a goose stepping President Mordaunt.
And, while still looking for viable alternatives, I live in hope Labour will get across the line and free us from universal sewage. Amen.
I can't be a fully paid up republican because none of the alternatives appears preferable although most would be cheaper.
However, Princess Anne is the only royal I have any time for. She always does it her way. I switched on briefly yesterday after the ceremony to hear the commentator say that Anne had slipped out of a side door to get on her horse and ride in the procession. She was riding alongside the royal carriage in full Colonel in Chief gear including cocked hat. Now if she was queen we'd be in for an interesting ride ...
Loved it all. I am only have British but I am a fan. Don’t make me explain or defend but I do. London looked amazing. Loved the pomp and ceremony and the history. Yes, Charles looked anxious but I am not sure I would feel relaxed wearing a slip with the world watching me, including a son who didn’t even sing the anthem (Anne’s feather hid it well though). I will take the monarchy over an elected head of state always given what elections give us.. finally, I enjoyed seeing people coming together. All nationalities and all ages.
The anointing business may well be a load of woowoo but actually, while we do have a monarchy and are waiting for a viable alternative, I don’t think it does the king any harm to be stripped of all his fancy clothes, humbled, and told to remember he is never the most important person in the room, which is what the bit of the ceremony leading up to it seems to me to be all about.
Weird is the word I used to describe the event to my daughter, who lives in France and has zero interest in the monarchy but asked if I’d watched it and what I’d thought.
Charles was no more or less a king afterwards than he was the second his mother died. The only difference was he swore an oath to protect the Protestant faith - established by an adulterous ancestor and one no more able to to hold fast to the commandments than himself. The ‘inclusion’ of other faiths was window dressing. The event was about maintaining the powerful but misguided link between the state and the Anglican Church, softened by fancy dress and, as you said, made up ritual.
Enjoyed the music and the Abbey is magnificent but the rest was very definitely weird.
I enjoyed the article and the coronation.Only on the radio as I don't have a telly. Being the right in line to succession and being an annointed king has never stopped England from killing its Kings.A Practical Constitutional Monarchy suits my head in a way an elected head of state doesn't.
On the whole I found the Coronation of King Charles an emotional and deeply meaningful occasion. Some knowledge of history undoubtedly helps when viewing this rare ceremony but the standard of commentary was embarrassing. A Constitutional Monarchy has served Britain well for centuries and provides both continuity and neutrality. The suggestion that we should vote for a Head of State is risable when you actually think it through. You'd just get Boris anyway. I'm just glad there's a whole family prepared to step up to what is often a pretty thankless task which leaves you with limited options, little privacy and a great deal of flak from the mean spirited and envious.
I think 'neutrality' is going to be difficult for Charles. He has already taken bags of cash but I see your point - imagine having a Boris as head of State.
I am one of those old relics who remember the 1953 coronation. My grandparents got a TV specially for the occasion. I watched but was more interested to watch on it the FA cup final, the Stanley Matthews final.
I was invited to a coronation party at a neighbour's house. This was good practice for my future "career" and endless seminars and conferences and team buildings.. I stood around feeling embarrassed . I was too shy to speak to anyone and no one spoke to me. There was a clown to entertain us. Looking back, he was probably a paedophile although they had not been invented in 1953. When I left the party I discovered that my flies were undone. I do not blame the clown or, indeed, the crown.
I also watched the coronation in colour at the cinema and who could forget Queen Salote of Tonga. Someone asked Noel Coward who that little man was who was sharing Salote's carriage. Coward replied: "He is her lunch."
I did not watch this coronation. Perhaps next time.
Coming off canvassing for Labour and the results 2 days before the Coronation.... I was struck by your “thirds” Suzanne,
“ and then the indifferent, those who simply were disinterested in the whole event.”
Sadly, this third of disinterested, as you say, are the ones to worry about. Left stranded by the warring, balanced opposites: Royalists v Republican; Labour v Conservative or Left v Right: Rowling v Jones.... The disinterested, even disintegrated, are what we used to call floating voters but maybe they just don’t vote... I kept hearing this third, when canvassing saying, “They are all the same.... I literally switch off the news.... don’t do Social Media.... I won’t be voting...”
So, this leaves, in the domains I listed above, and all the other polar tribal opposites, around the world, baying, often masked, behind banal placards, at each other....
What a screaming mess we’re in... we need (or are we vainly, mutely waiting for?) one group, to emerge and capture some defensible ethics to win over the populace and so drive some kind of consensual vision for a better environment in which to live.... and when I say environment… I
Mean human, natural, political, spiritual, moral, cultural everything…. Surely, if we spent decent time talking and listening, we’d find those “common goods” I’ve always felt most of us hold to…. Maybe that’s what AI will do for us…
“Alexa - what would all
Humans vote for?”
And then we wait….
Just edited it and added a para….
Capital punishment, probably
We’ll have to be sure the algorithms have checks against that!
Not a great fan of the monarchy but a fascinating few hours of telly. Brilliantly analysed and described Suzanne. We definitely were watching the same coverage. If this country ever becomes a republic my overwhelming fear is who on earth would the British people elect as president. Ant? Dec? The bloke off Repair Shop? Penny Mordaunt clearly threw her hat in the ring yesterday. Strange rituals seemed preferable yesterday to letting the British voters loose on choosing a suitable president. Seeing Johnson, Truss and Sunak made my bold run cold. There were certainly very few candidates in the Abbey. So for the moment this weird family is what we are stuck with. Hang on, though! President Moore has a certain ring to it...
I just love that phrase (I assume spillchicker created?) .”...made my bold run cold”. I’m going to use that.... makes me think that Spellchecker and Auto correct are really early insurgents of AI....
It was one of my fabulous dad's phrases. He was ahead of his time. Please do use. His other useful one from his German mother was:
"If conceit were consumption you'd be a corpse" which seemed apposite yesterday.
I did watch it with Twitter and it was pretty mad. My Twitter feed was amusing for the most part but I don't care much about the monarchy, who have had their day, probably. Still, what to replace them with? I can recommend "The Invention of Tradition" by Eric Hobsbawm, if you have not already read it.
Queen Suzanne gets my vote. Especially if you keep the music, which was sublime. Except for Andrew Lloyd Webber as usual.
And I will never forget Princess Diana. As I’ll never forget glimpsing those two boys following their mother’s coffin, knowing they’d be scarred for life by being made to perform that grotesque and cruel ritual.
We all know the Royal Family (with the exception of Princess Anne who is at least interesting) are there because of no viable alternative. I don’t want a goose stepping President Mordaunt.
And, while still looking for viable alternatives, I live in hope Labour will get across the line and free us from universal sewage. Amen.
Yep... to all that
Goodbye to all that - I wish
Charades and playing cards .
I fucking love the art in your window!
Here in America, at least one cable channel was carrying the coronation and all I could think was, "Didn't we fight a war to avoid this shit?"
I think if it's going to be weird, they should have really leaned in and made it WEIRD.
I can't be a fully paid up republican because none of the alternatives appears preferable although most would be cheaper.
However, Princess Anne is the only royal I have any time for. She always does it her way. I switched on briefly yesterday after the ceremony to hear the commentator say that Anne had slipped out of a side door to get on her horse and ride in the procession. She was riding alongside the royal carriage in full Colonel in Chief gear including cocked hat. Now if she was queen we'd be in for an interesting ride ...
Agree completely about Princess Anne. I'd vote for her to be queen.
Loved it all. I am only have British but I am a fan. Don’t make me explain or defend but I do. London looked amazing. Loved the pomp and ceremony and the history. Yes, Charles looked anxious but I am not sure I would feel relaxed wearing a slip with the world watching me, including a son who didn’t even sing the anthem (Anne’s feather hid it well though). I will take the monarchy over an elected head of state always given what elections give us.. finally, I enjoyed seeing people coming together. All nationalities and all ages.
The anointing business may well be a load of woowoo but actually, while we do have a monarchy and are waiting for a viable alternative, I don’t think it does the king any harm to be stripped of all his fancy clothes, humbled, and told to remember he is never the most important person in the room, which is what the bit of the ceremony leading up to it seems to me to be all about.
Weird is the word I used to describe the event to my daughter, who lives in France and has zero interest in the monarchy but asked if I’d watched it and what I’d thought.
Charles was no more or less a king afterwards than he was the second his mother died. The only difference was he swore an oath to protect the Protestant faith - established by an adulterous ancestor and one no more able to to hold fast to the commandments than himself. The ‘inclusion’ of other faiths was window dressing. The event was about maintaining the powerful but misguided link between the state and the Anglican Church, softened by fancy dress and, as you said, made up ritual.
Enjoyed the music and the Abbey is magnificent but the rest was very definitely weird.
I enjoyed the article and the coronation.Only on the radio as I don't have a telly. Being the right in line to succession and being an annointed king has never stopped England from killing its Kings.A Practical Constitutional Monarchy suits my head in a way an elected head of state doesn't.
Definitely the House of Weird but strangely compelling. For me it was all about the music. Handel in the Abbey? Now that was divine.
I don’t care about them but I did watch most of the coronation. It was better with the sound off without the inane commentators and Radio 3 blasting
I watched some of the Coronation Concert last night and apart from Gareth’s choir it was a pretty mediocre bunch.
Apparently Charles is a defender of classical music (under attack from the govt, ACE and at the BBC) as well as the environment.
Well if his weirdness can help both then bring it on. I’ll put up the bunting.
Thank you for watching so I didn't have to, I would have thrown something at the telly. Another superb piece of writing.
Excellent piece, Suzanne and this is so true:-
"For a country going down the tubes, it is important to market ourselves as being very good at something I suppose.An old king for an old country....
On the whole I found the Coronation of King Charles an emotional and deeply meaningful occasion. Some knowledge of history undoubtedly helps when viewing this rare ceremony but the standard of commentary was embarrassing. A Constitutional Monarchy has served Britain well for centuries and provides both continuity and neutrality. The suggestion that we should vote for a Head of State is risable when you actually think it through. You'd just get Boris anyway. I'm just glad there's a whole family prepared to step up to what is often a pretty thankless task which leaves you with limited options, little privacy and a great deal of flak from the mean spirited and envious.
I think 'neutrality' is going to be difficult for Charles. He has already taken bags of cash but I see your point - imagine having a Boris as head of State.