Just a friendly reminder to all Commonwealth citizens

[Josquius]

And with zadok the priest Charles is declared king of all football.

[Josephus]

Who is the chick in green holding the sword?  She's well stacked

[Sheilbh]

Who is the chick in green holding the sword?  She's well stacked

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons (so also Lord President of the Council/technically presiding over the Privy Council) - and former Tory leadersip candidate.

[garbon]

Who is the chick in green holding the sword?  She's well stacked

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons (so also Lord President of the Council/technically presiding over the Privy Council) - and former Tory leadersip candidate.

Leaving out the porn twin bro

[Sheilbh]

What?

I must have missed that story.

[garbon]

What?

I must have missed that story.

Well not actually porn, but James Mordaunt does like to show it off.

[Sheilbh]

I was not aware - clear the family is a little attention seeking

She is still carrying that sword.

[Legbiter]

Who is the chick in green holding the sword?  She's well stacked

She carried it very competently. What formal position do you have to snag to get to perform this function? 

[Jacob]

Speaker of the House of Parliament, IIRC.

[Sheilbh]

Speaker of the House of Parliament, IIRC.

Leader of the House of Commons (it's because they're technically the presiding officer of the Privy Council) - which is a cabinet role basically in charge of managing and scheduling the government's legislative business in the Commons.

She didn't just walk in with it either but held it by the altar - in that position - for the entire service.

[Zanza]

It's all a bit silly. How can you take such a show serious?

[Sheilbh]

It is silly - but I think it depends what you mean by serious.

I think in very general terms, people don't take it seriously. This is a country where over 50% say they don't believe in any religion - I rather doubt they're suddenly believing in the annointment of monarchs. It is, for the vast majority of people, a bit of a show, a long weekend, a day out to see a big parade and (diminished) flypast - plus do some shopping in town (this was the theme of the poet laureate's poem). Around the country, cathedrals were hosting community events to watch the coronation - and I think this captures what it was like for probably most people, a bit of a show and make a day of it with family/friends/their local community with a buffet lunch and tea:



Having those events in cathedrals are perhaps particularly apt. As they're similar to the monarchy - if there's one around it might be nice to visit for a day out. They're quite nice for special occasions (carol services, say) and do some lovely work in the community. They're simultaneously woven into the heart of our society - literally in the hearts of our cities - with, in theory, a role in governance (but practically, it's vestigal) and utterly irrelevant to the vast majority of people's lives.

Edit: Also just saw about the 150 dog King Charles Spaniel parade in Chelsea (a "fitting tribute" according to the organisers). That is not I'd suggest the behaviour of people who believe they're witnessing a sacred moment Or, perhaps most generously, people's views are all a bit tongue in cheek - simultaneously serious and not.

On another level - maybe theory - I think there is something serious going on about the military side of this, which I was really struck by. Like republican events of pomp and pagaentry - national days, inaugurations, marking transfers of power - I think there is something going on of military and civil and marking the move from one head of state to another formally. I got a little obsessed with this this afternoon and have now seen that Charles has been visiting loads of regiments recently and getting their new colours presented to him.

At a historic level there's something serious about it too. A lot of British royal traditions have been invented in the last 200 years (to reflect power because of empire and compete in Europe's ceremonial arms race). Coronations aren't one of them - we have orders of service going back a thousand years and the outline is broadly similar, they also used Zadok the Priest (though not Handel's version ) and they've been on broadly that spot. It is an event that would be recognisable to anyone from Europe in the last thousand years and purports, bluntly, to do magic. It involved the oldest gospel in the country (6th century), a 13th century mosaic floor made by Italian artisans (inspired by Byzantium), jewels worn by Henry V - and I think there is somethng serious in that. In the same way I think there's something serious about any grand religious festival, Easter in Rome, the kumbh mela or the Hajj or, for that matter, the enthronement of a Japanese Emperor. I think the challenge is can you sustain that with the first group (the public) who just see a show's increasing distance from its historical/spiritual purposes. Maybe - and maybe if the participants believe. The Queen certainly did and I suspect Charles, given everything we know about him, will have found it spiritually moving.

On another level I also think there is something serious which is the BBC. As the monarchy operates above party politics I think the BBC views it as non-political so there is no requirement for objectivity or providing equal space to both sides. They do acknowledge that it's not everyone's cup of tea and some people will really have not enjoyed it. But when there's a royal event the BBC is basically fully state media in a way it never is over politics (except, I think, over covid when I think it also saw its job as rallying the nation and amplifying the single message of covid guidance/rules). In part I think that probably just reflects the large group who just enjoy the show and don't want to be troubled with harrangues about the iniquity of inherited privilege when they're trying to enjoy a bank holiday. A solid 20-25% of Brits want a republic. You wouldn't know that from BBC coverage and, of course, the monarchy, the armed forces, the church, our constitution - are all deeply political, if not party political. I think the BBC needs to find a way to accommodate that and to strive a bit more to reflect the nation than I think they do on royal events. Especially as, of course, in another comparison with those cathedrals - they're both big landowners, with vast wealth (in theory held in some form of trust for the nation) and a place in the social structure.

[Valmy]

It's all a bit silly. How can you take such a show serious?

Because it is the price the British have to pay for the deal they struck with their monarchy in the 18th century in exchange for a peaceful transition to a parliamentary government. The monarchs pretend to rule and the people pretend to be subjects and everybody goes about their business. Sure beats all the horrendous bullshit you Germans had to put up with in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Besides Germany is surrounded by lots of fake monarchies. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway...not sure why Britain would appear especially silly to you guys.

[Sheilbh]

Besides Germany is surrounded by lots of fake monarchies. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway...not sure why Britain would appear especially silly to you guys.

Britain's the only country in Europe that does a (Christian) coronation - although Tonga has a Methodist coronation ceremony which is modeled on the British.

Not sure it's obviously less silly to have a monarchy but not do a coronation Although I suppose the big annual holiday in the Netherlands is King's Day - which is the King's birthday.

[Valmy]

Not sure it's obviously less silly to have a monarchy but not do a coronation

Yeah. If you cannot cosplay like its the 13th century what are you even doing with your 21st century fake monarchy?