God Save the King!
Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 7:09 am
It seems appropriate on a forum dedicated to fantasy, a genre so often involved in the doings of kings and queens, to take a moment to reflect on the pageantry that just unfolded in the fabled city of London. There has been a lot of discussion in the UK and abroad about the role of monarchy in the 21st century. People will make economic arguments for both sides of the issue, the cost of a monarchy vs the tourism it brings into a country, but I don't know how closely those things can be quantified. But in our modern fractious age, I think there's something to be said for a figurehead leader who is above politics and whom people can support. It remains to be seen whether King Charles can marshall the degree of love and loyalty that Queen Elizabeth did, whose grace and dignity were admired around the world. He certainly has his work cut out for him, but so far it seems like he is doing well.
And though he's been king since September, he really got a gala welcoming party today. Nobody does pomp and ceremony like the UK. I watched the coronation on YouTube (not live, of course...there's currently a 5-hour time difference between London and where I am). Words don't really do it justice but personally I found some of the highlights to be the roles played by women, people of color, and ministers of other faiths, reflecting the diversity of the modern UK. I was also touched when after swearing allegiance to the king, Prince William kissed him on the cheek. I gather this is the first time that other members of the Royal Family have actually played a role in the coronation. And thank God the oaths of allegiance were given only by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prince of Wales, instead of the entire peerage, which was the case in the past. There was a lot of speculation whether Prince George was too young to pull off his role as a page, but he seemed to do just fine. I did have one chuckle, though. As the crown was placed on Charles' head and guns salutes were thundering, the camera caught Prince George twisting his lips around like something was stuck on his teeth. I saw him do it again later on, too. Maybe it was just nervousness.
It looked like a pretty dreary day in London. I guess Britain is famed for being rainy. But people turned out in droves to watch, and there was still an impressive military flyover for the balcony moment, even though weather conditions precluded the inclusion of the vintage WWII planes. Some of the commentators seemed to expect the King and Queen to be a bit more animated on the balcony, but I think they were constantly aware of the need to remain steady so as not to cause those immensely heavy crowns to slip off and go clanging on the floor like Morgoth's did, LOL.
All in all, it was a very impressive event, and so to any forum members from the UK, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries and overseas territories, congratulations on your new King and Queen, and may they always make you proud!
Cheers!
And though he's been king since September, he really got a gala welcoming party today. Nobody does pomp and ceremony like the UK. I watched the coronation on YouTube (not live, of course...there's currently a 5-hour time difference between London and where I am). Words don't really do it justice but personally I found some of the highlights to be the roles played by women, people of color, and ministers of other faiths, reflecting the diversity of the modern UK. I was also touched when after swearing allegiance to the king, Prince William kissed him on the cheek. I gather this is the first time that other members of the Royal Family have actually played a role in the coronation. And thank God the oaths of allegiance were given only by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prince of Wales, instead of the entire peerage, which was the case in the past. There was a lot of speculation whether Prince George was too young to pull off his role as a page, but he seemed to do just fine. I did have one chuckle, though. As the crown was placed on Charles' head and guns salutes were thundering, the camera caught Prince George twisting his lips around like something was stuck on his teeth. I saw him do it again later on, too. Maybe it was just nervousness.
It looked like a pretty dreary day in London. I guess Britain is famed for being rainy. But people turned out in droves to watch, and there was still an impressive military flyover for the balcony moment, even though weather conditions precluded the inclusion of the vintage WWII planes. Some of the commentators seemed to expect the King and Queen to be a bit more animated on the balcony, but I think they were constantly aware of the need to remain steady so as not to cause those immensely heavy crowns to slip off and go clanging on the floor like Morgoth's did, LOL.
All in all, it was a very impressive event, and so to any forum members from the UK, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries and overseas territories, congratulations on your new King and Queen, and may they always make you proud!
Cheers!