As the Coronation weekend concluded, thousands of people in the UK gathered for street dances and community luncheons to honour King Charles III.
In honour of the newly crowned king, the Union Jack was flown from tables and trees from tiny towns to the nation’s capital. It was imprinted on hats, ribbons, tablecloths, and napkins. Some people used the flag’s colours as a uniform, covering their bodies with red, white, and blue all the way down to their fingernails.
Even as support for the monarchy dwindles, the neighbourhood gatherings, which are a part of the British tradition known as the “Big Lunch,” were meant to unite neighbours to celebrate the coronation.
Along with the luncheons planned to commemorate the momentous occasion, a midnight concert at Windsor Castle featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and the boy band Take That from the 1990s is also scheduled. Charles urged locals to volunteer on Monday, a day that the UK declared a public holiday.
The King and Queen are anticipated to attend the symphony but skipped all of the picnics, delegating that responsibility to other royal family members.
Before the music, picnickers outside the castle were startled by the arrival of Prince William, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Kate. They shook hands with people in the crowd and posed for pictures while dressing much more casually than they did the day before.
The royal family’s supper was served by the king’s siblings, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Anne, Princess Royal, along with their spouses. While his sister attended a function in Swindon, Edward was at Cranleigh.
At the Big Lunch celebration held in front of his office, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed U.S. First Lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden. Refugees from Ukraine, as well as neighbourhood activists, were also there.
Downing Street and Sunak’s spread, even his teapot, were decorated in the national colours, just like the picnic in the park.
