Charles III portraits, crowns and tents transform London

Two days after the coronation of Charles III and CamilaBritish flags already line the streets and shops of Londonthe portraits of the new monarch dominate the shop windows and the most devoted have already set up their tents on The Mall, the avenue that goes from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.

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Now flanked by flags union jack and from countries of the commonwealththis emblematic pink pavement promenade is one of the most coveted positions for those who want to admire the kings, since that is where they will begin their journey to the westminster abbey (round trip), forcing the masses to crowd in two brief kilometers instead of the eight of Elizabeth II in 1953.

Among the royal fans who have already marked their spot is Grace Gothardwho wanted to witness the coronation parade rehearsal in the middle of the wednesday morning, led by Charles III and Prince William along with troops and other members of the British Royal Family.

“We decided to take a nap on the grass, how cold!”he exclaimed Gothard before the EFE microphone, while describing the wait in the middle of the night in St James’s park. “Later we had rehearsal, so we got up and watched them. It was very nice. The carriage is beautiful, ”she pointed out, in front of some portraits of Carlos and Camilla actual size.

Beside, Lucy Edwards he has just set up his store to give “all the support” to Carlos IIIconvinced that “he will do the best he can”despite having “a lot of weight on her shoulders to keep up with her mother.”

Edwards, a carer for the elderly in Bristol, hasn’t missed a royal event since the prince’s wedding William and Catherineand has taken advantage of the fact that he has finished his night shifts at work to camp out until the end of the week.

A royal supporter wears an elaborate hat honoring Britain’s King Charles III near Buckingham Palace in central London on May 4, 2023, ahead of coronation weekend. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (ODD ANDERSEN /)

“I saw people already coming in The Mall to get ready, so I want to be here to soak up the atmosphere. I can’t sit at home knowing that I might be here”, she tells EFE, happy to be with her friends, with whom she already camped during the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II last June.

Equipped with wipes, food, sleeping bags and public bathrooms a few meters away where you can wash up, Edwards predicts a stay “not as basic as camping in the mountains” although “not as nice as a hotel either”.

Many tourists stop to ask them why they spend their free time sleeping in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the security fences, something that Edwards does not hesitate to attribute to the lack of cultural references.

“In the rest of the world they may not have events like this and obviously don’t understand the enormity of this,” he argues. I think until you see the event on Saturday, you can’t imagine how great it will be.

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MURALS AND CANOPIES

The final stretch of the preparations goes beyond the epicenter of the westminster abbeywhere the coronation will be held before 2,200 guests –6,000 less than in the Isabel II–.

There is no corner in the capital where the event is not mentioned, either because the special coronation quiche (with spinach, broad beans and tarragon) is promoted on the menu or because there are shortbread cookies in the supermarket for the occasion .

In front of the popular John Lewis shopping center, travelers waiting for the bus have no choice but to do so under a giant crown canopy, while shop windows display portraits and tableware dedicated to the new monarch.

The event is also remembered by a market of Covent Garden decorated, a King Carlos III made with 73,412 Lego pieces in the emblematic toy store hamleys or facades such as the Dorchester Hotel, next to Hyde Park, which has recreated the original decoration that it designed 70 years ago Oliver Messell for the coronation of Elizabeth II.

The festive atmosphere extends to the outskirts of the capital, as in the district of Hounslow (west), where the young Indian artist Yash Patel, mounted on a crane, paints a large portrait of the king on a wall.

“LThe reason why we celebrate and make this mural is that the king is the head of the commonwealthhere we are all from a country of the commonwealth”, points out to EFE Jignesh Patelco-author of the mural and also of the India.

At the foot of the crane, other residents armed with brushes give color to the 54 flags that, from the lower part of the mural, reflect one of the challenges that Carlos III faces in his new reign: that of keeping the commonwealth of nations and, in turn, combat the legacy of slavery and colonialism on which it is based.

Source: Elcomercio