King Charles Refuses Cut-Rate Coronation With a Once-in-a-Lifetime Spectacle of "Glorious" Pomp Instead, Insiders Claim
He will use the event as an opportunity for good publicity around the world.
King Charles took over the throne as King of England as soon as his mother, Queen Elizabeth, passed away in September. However, his official coronation – when he and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, have crowns placed on their heads – doesn't occur until Saturday, May 6, 2023. While exact details of the high profile event are still under wraps, we do know a few things, including how many people will attend, how long the ceremony will take, what people will be wearing, and who will be involved in the planning of it.
However, according to a new report, there is a little controversy as to how grande the affair should be – should it be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle with no expenses barred, or a scaled back, economically frugal function to reflect the country's current economic struggles?
According to The Telegraph, the King has rejected the idea of a cut-price coronation and instead plans on using it to showcase "UK plc." In other words, he believes that unless they go big, the collective performance of the United Kingdom's economy as a whole will appear to be weak.
The publication maintains the lifetime will be a "once-in-a-lifetime spectacle" of "glorious" pomp and pageantry. According to sources, Buckingham Palace and aides took into consideration all of the international media coverage after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The "key learnings" from Operation London Bridge and Spring Tide, the nicknames given to the period of mourning between her death and funeral, and King Charles' tour of the UK? It was basically a "great advertisement" for Britain. They believe they can duplicate and intensify the overall global result for the coronation.
While initially, they were striving for a "shorter, simpler service," aides believe that it could appear as a "cut-price" ceremony and that would send the wrong message to the world. They still plan on eliminating outdated and "cumbersome" elements from the ceremony.
This week British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the coronation as a "unique moment for the country." The Cabinet added that it was a chance to "showcase the very best of the United Kingdom."
While King Charles is concerned about the economic hardships in the United Kingdom, he worries that a scaled down event will send the wrong message. "All involved, from the palace to the relevant government departments and the military, are said to be in lockstep in their determination to deliver a festival 'in the best traditions of 1,000 years of history'," says The Telegraph.
"We feared that after the Queen's funeral, no one would take any notice of us for some time, but that's not true. In May, we will have the world's attention upon us," Lord Roberts of Belgravia, a historian and broadcaster, said. "The monarchy does exert great soft power and this is the equivalent of an aircraft carrier when it comes to international relations."
