The coronation of King Charles III will take place Saturday morning, almost 70 years after his mother Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Historian and LSU Professor Meredith Veldman said this will be the second coronation to ever be televised and it’s an opportunity for the United Kingdom to celebrate.
“In a way that’s not party political, a way to celebrate the nation, a kind of 4th of July on steroids I would say,” said Veldman.
When Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, Veldman said there was a boom in TV sales.
And while many Americans still think unfavorably of the affair, then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles had while he was married to Princess Diana, Veldman said in the UK there’s been a huge PR campaign to change the narrative of the Royal couple who married in 2005.
“We get these two people who have loved each other since their early twenties but weren’t allowed to marry, and yet they endured,” said Veldman.
And with the fallout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exiting the Royal Family, Veldman said she expects Harry will participate in the coronation and that his wife remaining in the US will decrease the intensity of possible distractions during the event.
During the last coronation when the Archbishop of Canterbury anointed the Queen, Veldman said that part of the ceremony was not visible. A tent was placed around her to hide the sacrament.
“They didn’t want that to be made commonplace by being on TV, and I don’t know how they’re handling that on Saturday,” said Veldman.
It remains to be seen if Camilla will be anointed Queen during the coronation. Her official title is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom.
The Coronation begins at 5 AM Central Standard Time, which is 11 AM in Britain.
Photo by Chris Boland
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