U.K. STREET PARTIES CELEBRATE CORONATION
A day after the gilded spectacle of King Charles III’s crowning in an ancient religious ceremony, festivities took a more down-toearth turn with thousands of picnics and street parties held across the U.K. in his honor — no fancy invite required.
From small villages to the capital, the Union Jack hung on houses and flew from tables and trees in celebration of the coronation. It was printed on napkins and tablecloths, hats and bows.
Some wore the flag’s colors like a uniform — clad in red, white and blue from head to toe and extending to their fingernails.
The community get-togethers, part of a British tradition known as the Big Lunch, were intended to bring neighbors together to celebrate the crowning even as support for the monarchy wanes. Critics complained about the coronation’s cost at a time of exorbitant living expenses amid double-digit inflation.
Thousands of luncheons were organized as part of the celebrations Sunday, along with a nighttime concert at Windsor Castle featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and 1990s boy band Take That. Charles encouraged residents to engage in volunteer activities today, which the U.K. made a public holiday.
The king and Queen Camilla attended the concert, but didn’t drop in on any of the picnics, leaving that duty to other members of the royal family.
His son Prince William, heir to the throne, and his wife, Kate, surprised people picnicking outside the castle before the the concert. Dressed far more casually than the day before, they shook hands and Kate embraced a crying girl in a hug.
The king’s siblings, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Anne, the Princess Royal, and their spouses took on lunch duty for the royal family. Edward was in Cranleigh and his sister hit an event in Swindon. The king’s nieces, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie,
the daughters of Prince Andrew, joined a lunch in Windsor.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted first lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden at the Big Lunch party held in front of his office on Downing Street. Other guests included Ukrainian refugees and community activists.
Like the picnic in the park, Downing Street and Sunak’s spread — even his teapot — were festooned in the nation’s colors.