For many years, I said that when Queen Elizabeth II died, I would stop caring about the royal family. Yet I found myself getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to watch the coronation of King Charles III. Why?
For starters, it’s a historic event. We haven’t been able to witness a coronation in 70 years, and when Elizabeth was crowned, television wasn’t nearly as ubiquitous as it is now. So I wasn’t going to miss such a historic moment.
Also, I’m a bit of an Anglophile. My ancestry touches all four of the realms of the United Kingdom, and I’ve had an affinity for British culture for a long time. My love of many things British meant that the pageantry of the coronation ceremony held my interest.
The tabloid fascination with the royal family disgusts me. I definitely couldn’t care less about Harry and Meghan, and I honestly wish they would just go away and live the private life they keep complaining about not being able to have. On the other hand, there’s something wonderful about watching Elizabeth’s family carry on after her amazing tenure.
The pageantry of the coronation ceremony pays wonderful homage to the past while looking bravely to the future. There are elements of the coronation that go back centuries, yet the ceremony itself speaks to the beginning of a monarch’s reign and the future that it represents. It was truly beautiful to behold.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠
The Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward’s Crown on The King’s anointed head. The clergy, congregation and choir all cry ‘God Save The King’.#Coronation pic.twitter.com/kGrV3W0bky
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 6, 2023
The coronation service is also explicitly Christian — which is remarkable given how far the British have strayed from their Christian heritage. Many people wondered if Charles would turn the coronation into something woke, but it retained its Christian character, even though it was amusing to see Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, read from the New Testament and declare, “This is the Word of the Lord.” (At my home church, we have someone read scripture in a similar way, so it was nice to have that tie between the high church and our decidedly more modern congregation.) Charles made some token nods to “diversity,” although they didn’t distract from the service, and the nods to his Greek Orthodox heritage were lovely as well.
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At the same time, as an American, I’m glad that our founding fathers fought a revolution to get out from under British rule. In a strange way, watching the coronation made me even more proud to be an American — largely because I was watching all of it from afar. I could admire the beauty and history of the service without having to swear my loyalty to the king.
Our country emerged as a strong force in the world without fealty to a monarchy. We proved that a republican form of government could work, even in a nation as vast as ours became. We were able to forge our own character and build an admirable history without having to be part of the British Empire.
There’s also a bit of pride that watching the coronation instills in me because the British are such important allies (even if our current president doesn’t see them as such). I can rejoice with our British cousins in this glorious moment because of the “special relationship” that the U.S. has with the UK. Their pride makes me happy, even though I don’t have to share in it directly.
So while some people may hate on the British today, which is their right to do, I’m celebrating with the UK. God save the King, but at the same time, I’m grateful to Him that Charles isn’t my king.
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