3 can't-miss moments from King Charles's coronation
Culture writer and royal observer Ellie Hall recounts her highlights from the weekend’s festivities
King Charles's coronation took place at long last in London, England over the weekend.
While it may not have garnered as much attention as the funeral for his late mother Queen Elizabeth II a few months prior, the ceremony's broadcast earned the attention of more than 20 million people.
Culture writer and royal observer Ellie Hall joined host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to review the events of coronation weekend, and what they might signify about the future of the monarchy. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast, on your favourite podcast player.
The royal spectacle (or lack thereof?)
Hall said the event may have been more subdued than previous coronations, but it still followed all of the anticipated traditions. Taking the drone display of a lion's head into account, she gives the overall spectacle of the weekend "an A-minus or a B-plus."
"You have all of these symbols of the monarchy that are so important, that only come out during coronation times. I mean, in the week leading up to this, you were seeing news alerts about the Stone of Destiny arriving at Westminster Abbey. How many times do you hear something like that?"
The attempts to blend modernity with tradition, Hall said, helped to liven up the occasion and perhaps define the relationship between the monarchy and its younger subjects.
"What the palace is trying to do is sort of marry that sense of, 'These were the things that the Royal Family has used for thousands of years,' with, 'We're modern. We're going to appeal to you and we're going to put behind the scene videos on Twitter,' and that kind of thing."
Prince William – and only Prince William – swears fealty to his father
One of the most important moments of the traditional coronation ceremony is when members of the nobility in attendance swear their fealty to the new monarch. While typically a few people step forward to perform the oath, this time only Charles's eldest son Prince William did so, Hall said, in what she calls "a little bit of a Lion King moment."
The ceremony really made it clear — here's King Charles, here's Prince William, and here's Prince George. This is the continuation, and it's strong, and we're going to be here.- Ellie Hall
Whether the people believe King Charles's implicit message that he can fill his late mother's shoes and keep the commonwealth together, however, remains to be seen.
"What they were trying to push was the continuity, because let's just face it: the King is in his 70s," Hall said. "I think what they were doing was saying, 'OK, Charles is here, but the monarchy is going to continue; the younger people are going to be a big part of it, too.' … So I think the focus on the younger generation was part of that push to keep people interested in the Royal Family and to keep members of the commonwealth interested."
Princess Charlotte roars for Katy Perry
Heading into coronation weekend, one of the biggest stories was of the musical acts who had allegedly turned down the opportunity to perform at the festivities — a list which was rumoured to include Adele, Harry Styles and Elton John. In the end, Buckingham Palace managed to land Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and the British pop group Take That.
"It felt a bit like the B-team, as far as the concert was concerned," Hall said. "Even if you think about the people who were there for the Queen's Jubilee concert last summer, that was far more people."
While the trio may have been unexpected, it's clear they weren't without fans in the audience.
"The cutest thing was, Princess Charlotte was super into it. You can see that she's really into Katy Perry. They cut the camera to her and she was jumping up and down and singing and waving her little British flag."
"Maybe she's the one who requested Katy Perry. I would like to think that's how Katy Perry ended up there," host Elamin Abdelmahmoud joked during this morning's conversation on Commotion.
"I would not be surprised. You know what? Good for you, Princess Charlotte, you use what power you can to get what you want," Hall said.
WATCH | Katy Perry's Coronation Concert performance at Windsor Castle:
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Ellie Hall produced by Jess Low and Jane van Koeverden.
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