‘THERE’S LESS INTEREST FOR THIS KING’ Charles III and other members of the royal family arrive at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, for their Christmas Day service last year, their first without Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September. Charles’ coronation is on May 6, 2023. (Agence France-Presse)
LONDON — Kirtesh Patel’s market stall has everything a royal fan could want, from Charles III keyrings and spoons to thimbles with his face on them.
The only thing missing is customers, with just a week to go until Charles’ set-piece coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
The last coronation was held 70 years ago in 1953 when huge crowds turned out to witness the formal investiture of Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
This time around, there appears to be little of the same public fervor.
A poll in mid-April indicated that nearly two-thirds of Britons were not interested in the ceremony, unlike last year when Elizabeth celebrated her record 70th year on the throne.
Patel, 44, sees it reflected in his sales.
“Fewer people are buying things than for the jubilee,” he said at his Walthamstow market stall, which offers £6 ($7.50) coronation mugs and £3 key rings.
“There’s less interest for this king,” he said.
Other priorities
Public familiarity with Charles could be one reason, taking the shine off his popularity after seven decades as heir apparent to the popular Elizabeth.
The elderly monarch, 74, and his wife, Camilla, 75, also have none of the youthful glamour of his eldest son and heir, Prince William, 40, and William’s wife, Kate, 41.
And harsh financial realities, with inflation stuck stubbornly at more than 10 percent, have meant hard-pressed Britons have other priorities than coronation trinkets.
Nearby on the market, retired teacher Carole McNeil, 82, insists she is not antimonarchy but is angry about the cost of the coronation, which is paid for by the taxpayer.
“I’ll watch the ceremony, at least partly,” she said. “It costs too much… It should be a smaller ceremony.
“When you hear the amount of money they (the royal family) have, [you ask] why aren’t they paying themselves?”
“I’m not going to watch,” said Rose Veitch, a self-described republican. “If it’s a nice day, I’ll have a walk in the country, trying not to think about the monarchy.”
Long weekend
Others are looking forward to a long weekend of festivities, which culminates with a public holiday on May 10.
Peter Haseldine, who was 5 years old in 1953, remembers being taken to The Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace, to celebrate the new queen.
“What a crowd!” he said about that period.
While some people are either for or against the monarchy, there are others in the middle, like Louisa Keight, 25.
“I haven’t thought about it yet,” she said. “Maybe I’ll watch but with an academic perspective. My feelings toward the monarchy are complicated.”
“I don’t think they should exist but as they are here….”
Keight, who works in public relations, said the queen’s death last September was “the first step of the royal family becoming more obsolete.”
But she is sure of one thing at least: the public holiday that rounds off the weekend of celebrations.
“I’m very excited about the bank holiday!” she said.