Essence of being British is found in Mall madness
Among those camping for Coronation, strangers are soon friends in atmosphere of genuine warmth
‘I have been known to stand and paint all night, so I think that’s what I’ll do. I told myself never again after doing that at the Queen’s funeral’
The atmosphere outside Buckingham Palace resembles nothing so much as back-stage at Glastonbury. Hoardings cover the palace, crowds are tightly controlled at crossing points up and down The Mall, a tide of curious onlookers washes up and security staff and police in high-vis clothing stand at the edges.
“Keep moving! Don’t stop for a selfie! Keep moving!” bellows a woman staffing the crossing point nearest Buckingham Palace. Blacked-out police cars zoom down The Mall, watched by onlookers who are hoping the King might be inside one, taking a view of proceedings.
On the southern side of The Mall, a row of tents has been growing longer since the start of the week. Festooned in Union flags and bombilating with excitement, the genial crowd comprises people from all corners of the UK, swapping snacks and sharing stories about times they met the Royal family.
Arriving from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on Tuesday, Julie Drake, 38, has a trolley stuffed with snacks to share. “Have a toffee, I know they don’t feed you properly,” she says, laughing, scrabbling through her bags for some sweets to feed William Rowlinson and Mike Simmonds, a pair of Chelsea Pensioners who’ve come down in their regalia to see the festivities and raise awareness of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. A small queue forms of tourists hoping for a picture with them in their scarlet uniforms.
Further down the line of tents, there are Duke and Duchess of Sussex lookalikes being mobbed by selfieseekers, while Charlie Minty, 41, an artist from Bath (whose parents named him after the then-prince) has his eye fixed on Buckingham Palace, brush in hand, carefully dabbing at his easel.
“I have to hope that the weather stays nice,” he says. “Oil paints and rain don’t mix.”
He has an umbrella and a plank of wood to guard his easel should that not be the case. “I have been known to stand and paint all night, so I think that’s what I’ll do. I told myself ‘never again’ after doing that at the Queen’s funeral, but here I am.” The crowd is an eclectic bunch. There are the usual suspects wearing their Union flag tea cosy hats who are greeting reporters like old friends, but there are others who’ve never attended a royal event.
Neil Emberley, a 68-year-old scoutmaster, has come to show his support for the King in recognition of his work with young people. “The boys and girls like him more than they’d have you think,” he says.
James and Anjulie Rusius, from Hertfordshire, both 37, and their infant daughter, Ellissa, have come to see what it’s all about.
Wearing a Union flag headband, Ellissa looks bemused but “it is something not to miss in the early years of her life”, her father says.
“Plus, it’s always nice to take a cute photo with the baby,” says Mrs Rusius.
For some in the UK, it’s easy to be cynical about the Royal family and its followers, but this is a reminder of how they bring us together. An atmosphere of genuine warmth and happiness permeates the crowds of campers and their onlookers, with strangers posing for pictures together and sharing their camping chairs.
Turning towards Buckingham Palace, it appears that for many of the people here this is more than an elaborate ceremony but the chance to celebrate the very essence of being British.