LONDON The Mall street in front of Buckingham Palace has been filled with tents of true supporters of the British royal family.
A king to be crowned Charles III and queen consort Camilla drive along the street in horse-drawn carriages to their coronation on Saturday morning. If you want to see this with your own eyes, you have to reserve a place in time.
– We arrived here a few days ago, says Kim Borup.
Borup says that he alternates with the man, which one has to watch by the tent.
– This morning it’s my turn.
The atmosphere at The Mall is calm and expectant. Most of the campers are middle-aged Brits. Many have brought props referring to the monarchy: pennants, scarves, cardboard dolls and outfits.
Time is killed by sitting on camping chairs and visiting other people’s tents. Many remember the queen who died last fall of Elizabeth II.
The Union Jack flag outfit is dressed up Bartley Graham. He believes that coronations interest people because of the uniqueness of the event.
The last time the United Kingdom celebrated a coronation was almost exactly 70 years ago, in June 1953.
– Some people have seen previous coronations, and this will be their last. A large number have never seen a coronation, and this may be their last. This is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, says Graham.
From the town of Gainsborough, central England, arrived in London last week Kerry Culbert says that waiting for the coronation day is not difficult for him.
– It’s nice to meet new people here. We are all here for the same reason.
Culbert says he also witnessed from the street the platinum party celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign and later the queen’s funeral last year.
He says that he still hasn’t fully embraced the change of monarch, but from the street it is becoming concrete.
– I’m almost sixty, 58 years old, I may not see the coronation of the next monarch anymore. I just want to be a part of this and enjoy the moment, says Culbert.
The monarchy divides opinions more than before
The row of tents in front of Buckingham Palace is not a representative sample of the British people.
According to opinion polls published in recent weeks, well over half of the people support the monarchy.
However, the support has been in a clear downward trend, as for several decades the support was consistently above 70 or even 80 percent.
News channel Sky News and research institute Ipsos published today in the survey (you will switch to another service) about two-thirds of the people answered that they supported the monarchy.
According to the survey, King Charles, who will be crowned tomorrow, is supported by almost exactly half of the people. The Fresh Prince of Wales William is slightly more popular than his father with 61 percent support.
Based on the polls, the young people are clearly the most suspicious of the future of the monarchy.
British Broadcasting Corporation BBC (switch to another service) in the survey of 18–24-year-olds, just under a third supported the monarchy. A slightly larger part was in favor of the republic, and almost a third could not answer.
The Republican Movement is organizing a protest tomorrow
Graham Smith leads the Republic organization, which, as its name suggests, pushes for a republic in Britain.
The organization has received a lot of attention in the British media during the coronation week, as the organization has promised to organize a large demonstration on the day of the coronation.
– We believe that several thousand protesters will arrive here. The presence of the police may scare some, but I think we will get a good turnout, says Smith in central London in Trafalgar Square.
According to Smith, the center of the protest they are organizing is exactly in Trafalgar Square, but he promises protesters will be on the entire route of the coronation parade between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
The Guardian newspaper (you will switch to another service) reported from the beginning of the week that the British Ministry of the Interior sent a letter to organizations opposed to the monarchy earlier this week, informing them of the tightened protest law that came into force in the country this week.
In Smith’s opinion, the letter had a somewhat “threatening” tone, but according to him, neither the letter nor the law will affect the planning of tomorrow’s demonstration in any way.
Smith says that Republic’s expression of opinion is peaceful because the goal is to gain increased popular support for the Republic. A too radical rapture might backfire, Smith believes.
– The police have told us repeatedly that they are not worried about our protest.
The death of the popular Queen Elizabeth did not cause the popularity of the monarchy to plummet, nor does Smith expect the country to abandon the monarchy in the next few years.
– We often say that big changes happen slowly and then suddenly. It is difficult to predict the pace, but I believe that the prince George’s the chance to ascend the throne is getting smaller every day, Smith predicts.