Coronation of King Charles III: Crowds gather in London for historic day

Under a locked-down London and with the threat of heavy rain, thousands of Britons and tourists gathered to await theat the coronation of Charles III at Westminster Abbey from the early hours of Saturday morning.

Nearly two million people were willing to endure the storm to see the kings, princes of Wales and the procession. Prince Harry arrived by airliner and stood in the third row of the abbey with his cousins ​​Eugenie and Beatrice, daughters of the Duke of York’s displaced Prince Andrew. But he was not expected to participate in the procession.

The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Green Park were the places of concentration. They were all with flags, masks, hats and above all umbrellas.

fear of attacks

He fear of a terrorist attack He was repeating the experience of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: the police have installed a bomb shield and cell phones don’t work to block an explosion, to the desperation of photographers, who cannot broadcast photos.

Seven anti-royalty protesters were arrested as they marched to Trafalgar Square to demonstrate. They stopped his truck with posters saying ‘Not my king’.

But in Trafalgar Square some managed to pass the security checkpoint and unfurl their posters: “Not my king”. “Abolish the monarchy” they sang in front of the “buu” of the pro-monarchists.

“We want to be visible, not cause a scandal. But we represent a growing percentage of people who believe we should abolish the monarchy and have a president,” said a spokesman for Repubblica, the movement that encourages them.

Tight security measures have separated the Abbey from the rest of the city. Green walls wrap around the area and 11,000 police officers are deployed in the British capital.

At Waterloo station, thousands of troops begin to disembark trains, in the largest deployment to London since the death of Sir Winston Churchill.

a patriotic party

Not a pin enters The Mall, the long avenue where the realists they have camp out and watch the carts go by with King Charles III and Queen Camilla of Buckingham Palace.

The attraction is the huge television screens, where people flock to see something of a historical moment.

Troops installed along the route parade through the Mall.

The guests

Those who had been waiting were in for a surprise: King Charles appeared on the Mall in his embroidered Bentley on his way to Buckingham Palace to begin the grueling coronation preparation exercise, in his medieval regalia.

Queen Camila preferred a low profile. She thinks it’s the king’s big day.

From seven in the morning and with a strictly controlled invitation, guests began to arrive at the medieval Westminster Abbey. In a black jacket, Sir Whitty, Britain’s chief scientist and voice of the Covid epidemic, was on his way to the door waving to everyone. His face is unforgettable for this accomplished Scottish dancer.

Lady Sussan Hussey, Queen Elizabeth’s best friend, has lifted her ban after a racist incident involving a guest at a reception at the Queen’s new palace. She was one of the first guests to arrive at the Abbey, dressed in iridescent blue, with her reddish feathered hat. She is Prince William’s godmother.

Also among the guests was director Andrew Lloyd Weber, who was mourning the death of his son, along with actress Emma Thompson, who greeted the press.

Actress Julie Dench is a close friend of the new queen Camilla and arrived among the first guests, not far from actor Stephen Fry, a great friend of the king. Lionel Richie, who will sing at the Windsor concert on Sunday, was another guest along with Vogue editor Edward Enninfull, a friend of Meghan, the absent Duchess of Sussex.

Interior Secretary Suella Braverman, in gray and with fascinatingDefense Secretary Ben Wallace and Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt arrived together.

The American envoy for the environment John Kerry entered the abbey with his imposing figure looking for his seat. President Joe Biden did not come but his wife and one of his nieces represent him.

The guests were entertained by sacred music while everyone tried to talk to each other, despite the draconian location so that everything was ready for the arrival of the kings.

police deployment

The press and their equipment are rigorously controlled electronically in order to be able to settle in the gallery in front of the Abbey. Getting there was like an obstacle course.

Eleven thousand police were deployed in London to control entrances and security.

Part of the royal family decided to celebrate the coronation in private: Princess Royal Anne and her husband Tom, their children Mike and Zara Tindall, Prince Andrew, their two daughters Eugenie and Beatrice and their husbands dined on Friday at the very private Oswald Club for the night. The Tindalls stayed until 2 in the morning.

But the presence of Prince Andrea in Osvaldo and in the abbey shows a slight rehabilitation of his figure, probably due to the pressure of the royal princess, daughter of the queen, on her brother, the king, who is none other than the voice of his father, the deceased Prince Philip.