From our special correspondent in London
His admittedly royal hand was raised, and his followers applauded him fervently. Charles III, who will be crowned this Saturday, was only spotted in his car between Buckingham Palace and Clarence House on the prestigious Avenue du Mall, but his passage left smirks on many faces. Some, it must be said, had even set up a tent for more than four days to be closer to the avenue du Mall, redesigned by Charles II. They are hundreds, at the very least, to be assembled there. The tents are draped in the Union Jack, the wigs display the same colors while others wear fake crowns. In short, even the most disillusioned of republicans can only note the monarchist fervor. Nevertheless, not always “Carlist”. “The reign of Charles will not be long, it is only a stage which will last twenty years before passing to William who better embodies the new generation”, advances Clare, a Welshwoman who came on Thursday to attend the coronation. The popularity of the king, established at almost 55%, hardly rivals that of the Prince of Wales, almost 78%.
So why follow the ceremony, like almost 45% of Britons according to a recent poll? “It’s in our culture, we have this royalist feeling in us,” certifies a Briton, from Antibes, near Nice, where she has lived for fourteen years. “I was at the Jubilee last year, at the Queen’s funeral, I follow all the royal events,” adds Mavis, sitting next to a portrait of Camilla, whom she “likes very much, even if we says a lot of bad things about it”. Before, this earthy Briton in her fifties, appreciated Lady Diana, but she “does not want to talk about it anymore, because it is over now”. Several British people questioned will be embarrassed by the evocation of the memory of the first wife of Charles III, tragically deceased on August 31, 1997, whose memory has long haunted the relationship of the sovereign with his future subjects.
“I am a French-speaking Quebecer, but the British sovereign is the head of our state, so I came, it is as important for us as for the English”, claims François. Like him, some have come from one of the fifteen kingdoms of the Commonwealth to pay homage to the one who, sometimes thousands of kilometers away, reigns over their country. Around the Mall, British flags and posters promoting the coronation ceremony show the importance of the event. Criers sell the program, photographs of the royal family or even CDs to the glory of the monarch.
Not everyone is unanimous. “The royal family plundered India and its colonies, it must now pay”, vociferates a young woman with pink hair. Joined very quickly by several supporters of the monarchy the debate begins: “this institution is unfair and it dominates the others without giving account”. “On the contrary, it unites us. Think of the queen who gave her whole life for us, as head of state”, replies a peroxide blonde with that inimitable British accent, both singing and detached. “The Queen is different, she has always been there. It’s up to us to change things now…”, replies the young woman. And this is where the shoe pinches. They may have camped for several days, but many are worried about the future of the monarchy. “Will Charles be up to it? I think so, but…”, slips Amy who does not dare to finish her sentence, in front of the disapproving look of her husband who completes: “he needs time. Succeeding the queen is not easy.
Tonight, they will be far from these concerns. Beers and good laughs are to be expected, while waiting for the next day and the passages, in colorful uniforms, of the soldiers and then of the royal carriages. The policemen, the famous bobbies, are applauded when they go down the avenue, the same goes for the…trucks carrying the garbage cans. “It’s too stylish, says a Frenchman jogging with his airpods on the phone. Thousands of people waiting for their king, we have never seen that in France. Do you think we could have that in France?” At the smile given to him by another man, who turns out to be French, he admits that he does not believe it. However, he too would have liked to experience this “curious monarchist feeling”.
