Global Courant 2023-05-05 21:20:00
LONDON –
London is buzzing with the excitement of a coronation on Friday, the first in 70 years, with just hours to go before King Charles III is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
Seasonal flowers from all over the UK have already arrived at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace said, with more than 120 varieties of flowers grown in the UK’s four countries.
The arrangements are intended to reflect the King and Queen’s affection for “the natural world and their shared passion for gardening, and to showcase the best of the British countryside in springtime, inspired by the wealth of Westminster Abbey” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. , adding that the flowers will be arranged using sustainable techniques, avoiding the use of single-use plastic or floral foam.
At the Abbey’s Great West Door, where the King and Queen will arrive as the final stop of their procession from Buckingham Palace, “a pair of tall yew topiary will be planted with a meadow of wild grasses and primroses, primroses and pansies. ”
After the coronation, the yews will be replanted in the garden at Sandringham, which is open to the public.
Blockades have been set up outside the abbey while media tents can be seen from the street as networks broadcast live to their channels.
On the road outside the abbey on Friday morning, as police on motorcycles blocked traffic, tourists immediately began filming the convoy of dark vehicles with tinted windows passing by.
While it was unclear if any members of the royal family were inside, there were last-minute rehearsals with the king and queen at the abbey not long before.
A scene outside Westminster Abbey in London on Friday, May 5, a day before the King’s coronation (Mary Nersessian/CTVNews.ca)
Near Buckingham Palace, the scene is much more chaotic, with a helicopter buzzing overhead, and police officers and security personnel trying to direct the flow of foot traffic, telling tourists trying to take a picture of Buckingham Palace to take the picture as they moving.
There are already large signs on the edge of the shopping center with the locations of accessible toilets, medical care, water filling stations and baby changing facilities.
LOTS OF TENTS IN THE MALLAWAY
And while city officials have advised the public not to come to the viewing areas before 6 a.m., dozens of tents with Union Jack flags have already been set up on both sides of the Mall ahead of the coronation, with royal superfans eager to stake a claim in the best place to see the king and queen during their procession Saturday morning at the Abbey.
Dozens of tents covered in Union Jack flags are set up in London on opposite sides of the Mall ahead of the coronation, May 5, 2023 (Mary Nersessian/CTVNews.ca)
Sass Wolgers, 22, who traveled to London from Sweden to take part in “the biggest party in the world,” says he was outside Buckingham Palace when he noticed large crowds. Looking up, he made eye contact with the king himself.
“I said ‘Charles, and he took my hand, he had a very stubborn hand, a very strong hand,’ he told CTV News’ Daniele Hamamdjian, adding, “he seemed very calm” for someone to be crowned the next day as millions of people watch around the world.
Not far from the palace, Toronto’s Bill Powellis one of those superfans who claimed an optimal location to capture the festivities.
He flew out of Toronto on Thursday morning to join his Canadian boyfriend, who lives in the UK, at her property off the Mall.
CANADIAN SUPERFAN CAMPING OUT AT NIGHT
Proudly dressed in a white shirt with a maple leaf, Powell wanted to be in London for the coronation, not just to be a part of history, but to wish the king “a long and happy reign,” he told CTV News .
“It was really something to be at the Queen’s funeral last year, very, very moving.”
Powell and his friend will spend the night in their tent, covered in Canadian flags, but they will have to pack up early in the morning because the crowd is expected to get at least 30 people deep, he said.
“We’ll be right up front to see it all happen.”
Braving the cold at night wasn’t a problem, Powell said, but it got a little hard to sleep because “some of our neighbors are really having a good time.”
A stone’s throw away, the crowds dispersed at the sight of a man dressed as a town crier, ringing a loud bell and bellowing, “Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.” It’s only one more day, God save the King.’
While most people showed up along the way to be on the front lines of a historic moment, there were also those who took advantage of the attention to challenge the monarchy.
100% BRITISH NON COLONIAL CROWN
Just beyond the sea of tents, Aisha Siddique and Marlon Rees stood by what looked like a crown under a gallery display case.
However, as we got closer, it became clear that the crown was made of natural objects found outdoors, such as pebbles and stones.
“We made the 100 percent British non-colonial crown, and it’s to raise awareness of the Koh-i-Noor diamond and how to bring it back to India,” said Siddique. The disputed diamond is currently set in a crown last used by the king’s grandmother during her coronation.
“We have created a crown that is literally made of British stones,” Siddique explained, listing Cornish tin, Yorkshire Dales granite, Cardiff slate, Brighton Beach pebbles and Dartmoor stone.
Marlon Rees (left) and Aisha Siddique stand by a crown made of natural objects (Mary Nersessian / CTVNews.ca)
“It’s the perfect time,” she said, to draw attention to the matter, “although the Koh-i-Noor diamond won’t be worn by Camilla tomorrow, it’s still in the crown jewels.”
By choosing to reuse a crown, Queen Consort Camilla appears to have dodged the controversy surrounding the disputed 105-carat diamond, which India has demanded to be returned. Instead, Camilla will wear the Queen Mary crown after some changes are made to reflect her own style, the palace said.
Watching closely as Siddique and Rees spoke to passersby, Coventry University student Solomon Mathari, who is from Hyderabad, Telangana, India, was the area where the diamond is believed to have been mined.
“People think it’s our country’s prestigious stone and we should get it back, a lot of people still think that and are fighting for it,” said Mathari, who works for the coronation. But despite the controversy surrounding the diamond, he doesn’t feel strongly about it.
“We made the 100 per cent British non-colonial crown,” said Aisha Siddique, explaining that the crown was made from Cornish tin, Yorkshire Dales granite, Cardiff slate, Brighton Beach pebbles and Dartmoor stone (Mary Nersessian/CTVNews.ca)
The diamond isn’t the only controversy that can cast a shadow.
This week, just in time for the coronation, a controversial new law on public order was pushed through, allowing British police to take stronger action “to prevent disruption” at major events.
But the new laws, which received the king’s assent, have not deterred the anti-monarchist group Republic, who issued a statement saying they continue to prepare for their “Not My King” demonstration in Trafalgar Square. as the authorities “have been very clear that they will not stand in the way of our protest.”
WEATHER CAN LOWER MOODS
While the protests can’t dampen the mood of the royal superfans, who are ecstatic to record history in the making, the unpredictable weather that shines that Friday can only greet the next.
The weather forecast as coronation weekend appears to be no different, with the Met Office warning of ‘unstable weather’.
“An area of rain is expected to move into the southwest of England early on Saturday and move north-eastward during the day with sometimes heavy bursts,” said Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert. “This is likely to bring some rain to London from mid-morning.”
For those taking the subway to get around this weekend, Charles and Camilla have recorded a personal message, replacing the “mind the gap” recording between Friday and Monday.
“My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend,” passengers hear Charles say, followed by good travel wishes from Camilla: “Wherever you travel, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.”
