Today Etiquetteer yields the floor to That Mr. Dimmick Who Thinks He Knows So Much to share his own experience in London for the King’s coronation.
No, I wasn’t admitted to the Abbey yesterday for the coronation — you won’t see me trying to break in like that Caroline of Brunswick! — but it was interesting to see how ordinary Londoners who wanted to observe chose to spend the day and what they felt was a good way to do that. Holland Park, in Kensington, turned out to be a perfect place to watch. Compared to the thousands of people along the procession route and around Buckingham Palace, there never seemed more than 300 people around the giant screen. No one felt trapped in the mob.
Obviously the rainy weather impacted what people chose to wear and how they behaved. Maneuvering with an umbrella is challenging in the friendliest rainstorm, but there are added risks to blocking the view of a Public Ceremony. Happily people seated in front kept their brollies close to their heads, and for those in back there was plenty of room to move about if need be. (Another reason to avoid more crowded venues.) While there were quite a few Union Jack and coronation-themed umbrellas, my favorite was the gold umbrella featuring Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. I witnessed more than a few people offer temporary shelter to the uncovered.
The gold Klimt umbrella may be seen at left.
All these umbrellas contributed to the dressing-up part of a public celebration, which can mean wearing your Sunday best (which I did), or adding flags and other souvenirs to your person. Many people gladly accepted small coronation flags or Union Jacks to hold or wave; I wish I had photographed the woman who had stuck three or four of them into the gigantic bun on top of her head, a regal presentation indeed. Who needs Prince of Wales feathers? And more than a few people wore plastic or plush crowns as part of the fun. Why not? Face painting was on offer elsewhere in the park, and the Union Jack adorned many a childish cheek.
Parents brought babies and young children so that later in life, obviously, they could say they had seen the coronation of the King. Some of these children were simply not having it, however, and I thought it was wonderful that other activities had been planned for them at a safe distance, like bubble blowing and such like. That way they didn’t disturb the rest of us. I gather that Princess Charlotte’s and Prince Louis’s mid-ceremony departure had been pre-planned. and that is exactly right (although the late Queen Mary would have had different ideas).
I satisfied my own need for thematic accessories by hauling out a couple family heirlooms: cufflinks of my father’s decorated with Beefeaters, and a vaguely heraldic brooch from my mother’s college days for my lapel.
And speaking of heirlooms — I think I saw more regal headgear in the park than I did in the Abbey. To paraphrase the late Jane Austen, “there was a shocking lack of tiaras” among those present (although some of the hats were fabulous). As someone who enjoys jewelry, this was a real disappointment. This Vogue article goes into a little of the precedent for not wearing tiaras, and of course even I recognize the need to simplify both the coronation ceremony and the monarchy in general. But don’t deprive us of the glitter!
All in all, a wet day good for sturdy and comfortable shoes, abbreviated ceremony, and community kindness. How long until the next one?
