The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey May 6. Over 2,000 people attended the event including members of the royal family and citizens of the United Kingdom, according to The Telegraph.
Various other occurrences were held over the weekend, including King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s procession, a Royal Air Force flypast over the South of England and a royal concert delivered at Windsor, according to Time Out.
Izabela McDaniel (’26) said her coronation weekend consisted of multiple family-oriented festivities.
“I celebrated [the coronation] with my family and we watched it together on TV,” McDaniel said. “We even baked a cake to celebrate.”
World Language Teacher Carlos Alvarez-Santos said he was not able to fully celebrate the coronation due to travel plans but still kept up with the event through the news and watched the latter half.
“I watched a summary of all the different events connected to the coronation,” Alvarez Santos said. “I even followed some of the preparations and rehearsals that they were doing for the event.”
According to CNN, over 20 million Britons watched the coronation of King Charles III.
McDaniel said the bank holiday held in honor of the coronation May 8 was a chance for her to relax and recharge.
“I spent the bank holiday doing things that make me happy and spending time with my family,” McDaniels said. “It was exactly what I needed to feel refreshed and ready to tackle another week of school.”
Nonetheless, English Teacher Hannah Notowitz said she hoped there were more chances to celebrate British identity that did not involve the monarchy.
“I wish there were more opportunities for us to come together as a country that wasn’t around the royals,” Notowitz said. “They are no longer symbols of the U.K. that I feel happy to be associated with.”
Notowitz also said she wishes that King Charles III will reduce the importance of the monarchy and give back to the people.
“I hope that he starts dismantling the monarchy, and giving back the big buildings, the homes, their property, their land, to the people, and turn them over to the national trust,” Notowitz said.
Meanwhile, Alvarez-Santos said he does not see the monarchy as a “need” but rather a “plus” as they showcase Britain on the world stage.
Furthermore, Alvarez-Santos said he acknowledges the significance of the coronation for the future of the monarchy.
“I definitely understand the U.K. having a monarchy because of the tradition of what the U.K. values represent and how the monarchy is involved with that,” Alvarez-Santos said.
McDaniel said she has neutral feelings about the royal family but found the coronation celebrations very informative.
“I don’t really have an opinion on the monarchy, but we just celebrated [the coronation],” McDaniel said. “It gave more insight into British tradition which I found very interesting.”
Overall, McDaniel said the long weekend was a momentous occasion as it allowed the British people to celebrate with their families.
“The long coronation weekend was important for the British,” McDaniel said. “It allowed them to travel and celebrate a new era of the monarchy with their families.”
