Photos: Paper Crowns Dot London’s Crowds for King Charles’s Coronation Ceremony

Photos: Paper Crowns Dot London's Crowds for King Charles's Coronation Ceremony

Many people gathered on the Grand Mall Boulevard wearing paper crowns.

London:

Tens of thousands of people, young and old, from across Britain and the world, gathered in central London on Saturday for what they said was a chance to witness a moment in history.

From the early hours, people dressed in red, white and blue and holding Union flags lined the streets to watch the coronation of King Charles, the first coronation in Britain for 70 years marked by a huge display of pomp and pageantry Will be done.

There were varying reasons for those present: many older visitors wanted to show their support for Charles and the monarchy, others ushered in a new era, many young observers spoke of a desire to see history and others wanted to party. wanted to do

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Antonina Strain, 53, traveled from Toronto with her sister Yvonne Havrey, saying she was born in London and coming back for the coronation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I cannot imagine a United Kingdom without a monarch,” she said. “It’s included in the soul of the country.”

The coronation is taking place amid a cost of living crisis and public skepticism about the role and relevance of the monarchy and its finances, particularly among young people.

Charles, who has had the longest wait for the throne of any British monarch, is not as popular as his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and his coronation is unlikely to attract the millions of people who attended his coronation in 1953. People thronged the streets to watch.

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But polls show the public generally accepts Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are less interested.

By 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) the crowd was 20-deep in places on the grand Mall boulevard leading to Buckingham Palace, with many wearing paper crowns and waving flags.

At Waterloo station, the troops disembarked from the trains to make their way towards the palace, led by their marching bands in formal dress.

Sam Mindenhall, a 27-year-old cafe worker from Bristol, southwest England, said he thought Charles had tried to balance the almost 1,000-year-old monarchy’s tradition with the modern face of Britain by making references to the country’s many religions. ,

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“I think a lot of the issues that he cares about are quite important,” she said, adding that Charles is “trying to be more inclusive and bring more people into our country”.

Fabrizio, a 47-year-old man who immigrated from Italy nine years ago, said he also thought it was time for Charles to connect with young people, given his decades-long interest in environmental issues and support for many different communities. Will do a better job

“I think the King will reach out to young people regardless of his age, I think he will be more connected to young people than the Queen,” he said.

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