The Coronation

It was very kind of 1 May to fall on a Monday this year 😊. In England, all public holidays are taken on a Monday to give everyone the chance to have a long weekend e.g. if 1 May is on a Thursday, the following Monday is free. One of the few good things to come out of the UK at the moment …

But to get down to my topic of the week and another nice thing (well in my view anyway), you’ve guessed it – it is the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, 6 May. I was going to write “next Saturday” but as this often causes confusion, it is always better to write the date 😉.

I shall be glued to the TV from 11:20 onwards when the procession starts from Buckingham Palace. I don’t think I’ll be making a ‘Coronation Quiche’ which is the official dish of the Coronation and will be eaten on the Sunday by lots of Brits at street parties called the ‘Coronation Big Lunch’. At the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, she proposed ‘Coronation Chicken’ as it was a relatively cheap meat at the time.

At the last coronation, 27 million people watched it for the first time on a TV with each TV set watched by an average of nine people! I don’t think it will be as popular this year as younger people aren’t so interested in the monarchy and the country is dominated by the cost of living crisis.

But unlike my Dad (who is a staunch (überzeugter) Republican) I think of it as something positive, and I’m sure a lot of Brits do too as they get another public holiday on 8 May! The following two links give simplified and more detailed information on the event.

Top 10 Facts about the King’s coronation! – Fun Kids – the UK’s children’s radio station (funkidslive.com)

The Coronation | The Royal Family

And finally, it may interest you that, as the first major world event to be broadcast live, the 1953 Coronation was shown all over Europe. Its success inspired the foundation of the Eurovision Network which led to the birth of the Eurovision Song Contest which will be held in Liverpool on 13 May this year. You’ve guess it – I shall be watching it again with my wonderful Poly Dollies (college friends I met at Birmingham Polytechnic in 1976) on TV so watch this space …