The "Buckingham Hotel" is not a five-star hotel, nor is it a charming establishment, not even a youth hostel with a cold shower. It does not appear in any guide. This is how the portable beds installed along the Mall in London have been baptized, covered with plastic tarpaulins to protect their occupants from the rain, fans of royalty, both national and foreign, who have wanted to ensure a first-class place queue to see King Charles III pass today on his way to his coronation at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremony, a thousand-year-old ritual with no equivalent in any other European royal house, is dotted with modern notes that aim to set the tone for the reign of the English monarch, a character that holds few mysteries for subjects who have followed his adventures for 74 years. years, and who has waited as if to say his whole life to put on the scepter. Secrets, few. There will, of course, be solid gold crowns studded with rubies and thousands of diamonds, carriages, heavy robes, cloaks, hymns, chants, oaths, proclamations of allegiance, parades, lots of God save the king (and some this is not my king). ). But also a simulation of diversity and inclusion, women clergy, participation of leaders of faiths other than Christianity and readings from texts in the Gaelic languages of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. A potpourri like one would find in the cave of Ali Baba and the forty thieves.
A first class show, to which 2,200 delegates from 203 countries, one hundred heads of state, political leaders and members of the royal family will contribute with their presence. The guest list has been kept in absolute secrecy, because both presences and absences (Enrique yes, Meghan no) are conflicting. The leader of the Northern Irish Sinn Féin, Michelle O'Neill, will be there, despite the fact that her party emerged as the political arm of the IRA, responsible for the murder of Lord Mountbatten, godfather of Carlos III (in contrast, his daughter, Pamela Hicks, has not received the card). No less controversial is the presence of the Chinese vice president, Han Zheng, who played a prominent role in the anti-democratic repression of Hong Kong in 2019, and since which relations between London and Beijing are going through a terrible moment, the worst in decades. The UK increasingly sees the People's Republic as a threat to its security, values and economic interests, and has restricted its investment in nuclear power plants and "strategic projects".
Americans are fascinated by the British monarchy almost more than the English, but their presidents don't go to coronations. Eisenhower did not do it in 1953 to that of Elizabeth II, and neither is Joe Biden going to do it to that of Carlos III. He will be represented by his wife Jill, who will rub shoulders with Olena Zelenska (Zelenski's wife), the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and dignitaries from almost every country on the planet, with the exception of those that make up the Foreign blacklist. Office; Russia, Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, Burma and Venezuela. The Turkish Erdogan has excused himself citing internal political reasons, and on the part of Saudi Arabia (whose royal house has close friendly relations with the Windsors), Prince Mohamed bin Salman, de facto leader, who is credited with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The arrest earlier this week of an individual who threw shotgun shells over the gates of Buckingham Palace set off security alarms. Within the framework of the so-called golden orb operation, eleven thousand five hundred police officers will be deployed in central London and, especially, along the route of the procession, between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, where they are expected to the presence of hundreds of thousands of people. In addition to those who have been sleeping for days on the portable lounge chairs in the Mall, many more spent last night outdoors, defying the elements, with sandwiches and thermoses of tea, to guarantee themselves the best places. “Monarchical tourism” is quite a phenomenon.
The Government has accelerated the approval of a controversial law that facilitates arrests for "disturbance of public order." It was conceived to mitigate the impact of the actions of environmental activists who tie themselves to bridges and train tracks, clogging traffic, but it has been incorporated into the coronation security measures to combat anti-monarchist protests (a thousand republican militants are expected on the streets). Being the navel of the world, even if it's just for a day, has a price.
