HM King Charles III

Source: Anwar Hussein Collection //Getty Images

Today saw the coronation of King Charles III.

I watched the ceremony – I’m a history graduate, after all, and this was history!  I love the parades, the timing and the splendour of it all; uniforms and horses polished and gleaming, the impeccable timing of the marching military, all of that Royal-ness that is someone’s job every day but I have no idea of what most of it is.

I also appreciated that there was thoughtfulness in the day’s events.  The whole ceremony and parade had been pared down, the King took the time to greet religious leaders in the cathedral who were not part of the service (and the coronation was very much a religious service), and there were references to the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the proceedings too.  It might seem obvious to have included that, but there was no rule that said it had to be done.

I think it will be a long road ahead for our King before he is thought about as fondly as many people thought of Queen Elizabeth.  Thanks to the media and more recently social media, every public and private action that he has ever undertaken is open to public scrutiny and debate even years after the event took place, giving people the opportunity to judge him based often on someone else’s opinion of events.  Whatever the situation, I don’t think any of us would like that, especially when there has been so much work done to support charities and the environment, and I hope that the spotlight is able to turn to those in the future.

Today, though, I have enjoyed the coronation for what it is – a symbolic religious ceremony involving the placing of a crown on a monarch’s head to formalise their role as the head of the Church of England, and marking the official transfer of titles and powers – and I wish King Charles III a long and happy reign.