By Tia Rawlings
The country’s controversies: coronation, climate, and cost of living: What do they mean for the UK?
The countdown to the coronation is finally over as thousands of royal fans swarmed Westminster Abbey on the 6th of May in hopes to get a glimpse of the country’s newly crowned King. Many of the royalists also took to the streets of central London with banners and bells to watch the King’s parade and show him their support.
About 20.4 million people in the UK watched the coronation, a report by CNN found, which is significantly less than the 29 million people who watched the Queen’s funeral, according to The Guardian.
What does this mean? Could it mean that there are fewer people in the UK that support the monarchy since the passing of the Queen?
Cost-of-living crisis
Despite some of the country’s excitement, concerns with the cost-of-living crisis are prevalent. A devastating 14.5 million people in the UK were living in poverty whilst the coronation took place, 4.5 million of which are children, according to the Institute of Government & Public Policy.
This has led to the public questioning whether it is appropriate to spend such a huge amount on the coronation during a time when so many people are struggling to make ends meet.
The coronation was predominantly funded by the UK Government and British taxpayers. Buckingham Palace also contributed but they failed to publicly disclose how much they actually chipped into the event.
With the coronation costing a huge £250 million, not all of the UK are in agreement with both the price, and the actual event going ahead.
A member of the anti-monarchy group Republic, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “We work hard as an organisation, attempting to abolish the monarchy altogether; it is dated to have a King or Queen and it doesn’t work in accordance with the country’s needs as of right now.
“The people’s needs should be priority, not a wealthy man who sits in a palace with a crown on his head.”
Image by Tia Rawlings
Protesting the parade
While not everyone agrees with the timing of the coronation, some are questioning the monarchy’s relevance full stop.
“It’s an outdated institution,” said Xander Atherton, 25, Crown Court Clerk, as he was protesting on the day. “We don’t live in the 18th century anymore.”
Some anti-monarchists were arrested for showing their disdain in front of Westminster Abbey whilst the coronation took place. Were they right to show up in the first place? After all, protests against the coronation will not solve the cost-of-living crisis.
Image by Tia Rawlings
Xander Atherton, 25, Crown Court Clerk.
Despite the protests, some retained their faith in the King’s reign. “He’s going to do good things for this country, he’s a good person,” said Sally Knight, a 56-year-old nurse.
Young people seemed to have more interest in enjoying the long weekend than spending their time queuing for hours to see the King. “It’s just an excuse to go out really, got a long weekend because of the bank holiday so going to make the most of it,” said Ben Dixon, a 19-year-old electrician.
Even celebrity interest is in the monarchy appears to be low, as several A-list celebrities declined to perform at the King’s Coronation, including Sir Elton John, The Spice Girls, Adele, Harry Styles and Kylie Minogue, according to Newsweek.
A report carried out by National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) showed that the public’s support for the monarchy has fallen to a record low.
In the report, Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive at the National Centre for Social Research, added: “The majority of the public still support the royal family, and whilst support tends to be more amongst those aged 55 and over, the challenge going forward will be for the monarchy to deliver its relevance and appeal to a younger generation to maintain this support.”
Graph credit: NatCen
Post-coronation climate crisis
Nevertheless, surely during a cost-of-living crisis Brits won’t be buying the millions of decorations that have been produced and available to buy in stores all over the country, despite predictions that the British public would spend £9.8 million in preparation for the coronation, according to Retail Times.
The environmental impact of this is also concerning as the decorations are probably going to be used once and thrown in the bin, which of course is at the cost of the planet.
Fear not – Charles III is a climate King
There are high hopes for King Charles to have a positive environmental impact on the country as he is known for being passionate about saving the planet “Throughout his life, King Charles III has been a champion for environmental issues. He has spent years campaigning for conservation, organic farming and other eco causes,” commented Euro News.
However, with organic food being significantly more expensive, is his passion for organic farming truly going to benefit a country that is struggling to afford the bare minimum?
“Organic food is a lot more expensive than non-organic. Our analysis shows that a typical shopping basket (as per the CPI’s 2020 Basket of Goods and Services) of organic food costs more than double (105% more) the price of a basketful of the same, non-organic food items,” said the Money tips blog, which in 2021 said that “many” people can’t afford to buy organic food.
Will the Prince and Princess save the monarchy?
Another concern that arises when discussing the King is how long he will reign for as he is 74 years old, making him the oldest monarch to be crowned King. With Prince William and Princess Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, next in line for the throne, is the expense and environmental impact for their coronation going to be as much – or potentially even more?
The young generation is becoming seemingly less interested in the monarchy and this can only increase with time, unless of course Prince William and Princess Kate appeal to them when they are crowned King and Queen.
Or, over time, will the monarchy lose its relevance altogether?
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