Proof it’s the Royal Family that binds our nation together
THE ACT could not have been more straightforward. Yet its very simplicity underscored what the months building up to the centrepiece of yesterday’s Coronation had all been about: the transference of power was complete as the crown was set upon the head of King Charles III.
As the acclaim rang out acrosswestminster Abbey, and much of the land, it heralded the fact that the 1,000-year tradition of the ever-enduring British monarchy had moved into another chapter, and as ever, with due pomp and solemnity.
To be British is to share a community of memories and a sense of vaulting ambition and often extraordinary achievement.
And the Royal Family has provided the soundtrack down the centuries.
In a service that follows a 14th-century transcript, the anointing oil – poured behind screens over the new King – indicated, in times past, a spiritual blessing from on high.
It was to set that person apart from all others and indicate it was God’s will that they should be consecrated and sanctified as the new sovereign, and handed the awesome responsibilities that came with it.
But that was then, and this is now.
Many will have looked on with bewilderment at the parade of weird-sounding regalia – such as the swords of Temporal Justice, Spiritual Justice and Mercy and Coronation Spurs and Armills, and robes such as the Supertunica and the Imperial Mantle.
Yet at its heart this was nothing more complex than confirming the passage of the boy to the man whom we always knew would be king. Albeit while sitting upon a mystical stone dating back a thousand years.
And therein lies the very magic of the institution.this kaleidoscope of “royal bling” and carefully choreographed pageantry watched by Princes, Princesses, Prime Ministers, Presidents and other dignitaries from across the planet is the shared ritual that binds our nation together.
How ironic it came as the results of the local elections were being digested, pored over and spun in a bid to benefit each party.
Everything we heard, saw and celebrated confirms it is our Royal Family that binds our nation together. Even the popularity of the most beloved politician is seen as merely transitory when compared to the centuries our monarchs have reigned over us. As political parties and PMS come and go and wax and wane, one thing remains constant: the monarchy.
Ask yourself this: could you ever imagine a politician engendering the sort of loyalty and steadfast dedication that sees hundreds of people happy to sleep in the open for nights on end, enduring downpours and gales, and hundreds of thousands heading to London with the desire to “be a part of it”.and that’s not even factoring in the many thousands who have come here from around the world to witness our history in the making.
Patriotism and belief in country have always puzzled the Hard Left and the sneering liberals, as they try to paint a picture of a Royal Family that is aloof and yearns to keep apart from the people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just recall Charles’s first address to the nation as King soon after his mother had died, in which he pledged to serve the country “with respect, loyalty and love”.
He knows for the monarchy to continue, it must be a two-way street. So, all hail our new King of our United Kingdom!
IT WAS the day he had prepared for all his life and the King appeared solemn as he departed Buckingham Palace to be crowned.
But that changed as the state coach approached the crowds gathered from across the world to wish him well.
Charles waved and smiled warmly, and they responded with cries of “hip hip hooray”.
The skies were grey and a smattering of rain fell. But the Coronation got off to a joyous start as the King and Queen began their 1.3 mile journey towestminster Abbey, accompanied by the Sovereign’s Escort of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
Colonel Simonvandeleur signalled to the Guard of Honour to give a royal salute as the front wheel of the Diamond Jubilee Coach left the Palace grounds. It prompted the Royal Marines Band Plymouth to begin playing the national anthem and the mounted band of the Household Cavalry set off as the first note of God Save the King rang out.
It set the tone for the King’s Procession. Six majesticwindsor Grey horses drew the King and Queen alongthe Mall.ahead rode the Blues and Royals cavalry regiment. Behind were the Life Guards, their helmets decked with white ceremonial plumes.
The band made its way through Admiralty Arch at 10.33am, led by the regiment’s two drum horses, Atlas and Apollo, followed by the carriage carrying Charles and Camilla.
They passed the statue of King Charles I intrafalgar Square and turned on towhitehall, where the procession continued past the Cenotaph and the entrance to Downing Street. Continuing around Parliament Square, the King and Queen arrived outside Westminster Abbey at 10.48am.
The coach was built to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’S Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The seat handrails are from the Royalyacht Britannia and the bodywork contains fragments from Henryviii’s warship the Mary Rose, Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree and the Antarctic bases of Captain Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton.
And this was just the start, as the later procession would be an even grander affair.