God Save the King!

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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!
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: God Save the King!

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I woke up at 5 am this morning to watch it live. Even had tea and crumpets, jam tarts, shortbread and Battenburg cake to celebrate as I watched. It was amazing to watch. I think my favorite parts are the anointing and when Prince William gave his oath. Just loved it!

Re: God Save the King!

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I watched a good chunk of the coverage after I woke up, so definitely not live. I'm ambiguous as to the existence of the monarchy, and it's a subject that comes up for debate up here in Canada every so often because Charles is now our king. I don't think most people care, and it has no effect on the governance of the country anyway, he's just a figurehead and part of ancient tradition. The problem, most who argue in favour of us going our own way (same thing being currently argued in Australia), is the legacy of colonialism and how it affects the generations of indigenous peoples that live here. My argument is always "You realize you're talking about individuals that died centuries ago, right?", but the counterargument is always about what, whomever wears the crown now, still represents.

Anyway, it's always the same story: some big event occurs, like the passing of the Queen, or now the coronation of Charles, and all the naysayers get up in arms, and then it just quietly goes away again until the next cycle. Personally, as I said, it doesn't bother me, and I think it's all very cool and pretty to look at and admire from afar. :coolsmile
This Space for Rent

Re: God Save the King!

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Arwyniel wrote: Sat May 06, 2023 7:56 am I woke up at 5 am this morning to watch it live. Even had tea and crumpets, jam tarts, shortbread and Battenburg cake to celebrate as I watched. It was amazing to watch. I think my favorite parts are the anointing and when Prince William gave his oath. Just loved it!
I never thought to lay in a supply of any British foods; I don't even have real tea in the house, just herbal. Well, I guess I've got some marmite in the fridge, but I'm fresh out of bread, so I would just have had to have eaten it by the spoonful. Man, is that stuff salty!
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: God Save the King!

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Valkrist wrote: Sat May 06, 2023 8:22 am I watched a good chunk of the coverage after I woke up, so definitely not live. I'm ambiguous as to the existence of the monarchy, and it's a subject that comes up for debate up here in Canada every so often because Charles is now our king. I don't think most people care, and it has no effect on the governance of the country anyway, he's just a figurehead and part of ancient tradition. The problem, most who argue in favour of us going our own way (same thing being currently argued in Australia), is the legacy of colonialism and how it affects the generations of indigenous peoples that live here. My argument is always "You realize you're talking about individuals that died centuries ago, right?", but the counterargument is always about what, whomever wears the crown now, still represents.

Anyway, it's always the same story: some big event occurs, like the passing of the Queen, or now the coronation of Charles, and all the naysayers get up in arms, and then it just quietly goes away again until the next cycle. Personally, as I said, it doesn't bother me, and I think it's all very cool and pretty to look at and admire from afar. :coolsmile
Colonialism certainly has a tragic side to it, but those who blame the Crown are missing part of the story. In Canada, in America, wherever, it was our ancestors doing the enslaving and the brutality and all of that stuff. So if someone wants to blame somebody, don't just blame Charles, they should blame their own ancestors or anyone else that was part of the system. And as you pointed out, that all happened hundreds of years ago. Charles did not enslave anybody.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: God Save the King!

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I definitely didn't wake up at 5AM to watch, but I did get some highlights and clips. My fiance and I stopped in a British import grocery store on Sunday. They were watching some of the concert live and had cake and stuff for people. I mainly went because, I am the biggest chocolate lover on the planet and I LOVE actual British Cadbury chocolate, not the stuff you get in America. I was so excited to see they had some, wasn't excited to see the 7$ price tag per bar haha. I bought a couple bars, now that I know I can at least quench my craving, I havent had any since my last trip to London in 2018!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Re: God Save the King!

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Like others I didn’t get up in the early morning to watch, but I did watch it on YouTube later, I am indifferent to the Monarchy. And if one had to put me in a camp I would choose a republic. But I did enjoy the spectacle and parade. It has been over 70 years since there has been a coronation of a British Monarch and so I wanted to watch. Charles has had a rocky relationship with the British people but I think they have given him a chance and hopefully he doesn’t cock it up!
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