Saturday, May 6th will be a day for the history books. The Coronation of King Charles 111 and Queen Camilla will take place, officially confirming their titles and Royal roles as Monarchs of Great Britain, and also as Head of the Commonwealth.
Following on from the long and dedicated reign of the much loved and respected late Queen Elizabeth 11, it is a challenging time for not only the King and Queen, but for the Monarchy as a whole.
Going back as far as history has been recorded all around the world, there have been Kings and Queens and Royal families.
Many inherited their positions through family succession, and many seized the status through conflict, war and religion.
The purpose of these exalted positions appears to promote a mixture of power, leadership and almost mythical status which is feared and admired in equal measure.
This impression is compounded by not only having the power to demand and expect a collective positive response from the masses, but the ability to display great wealth and privilege for all to see.
It promotes a picture of an impossible dream, where Royalty can have what it wants, whenever it wants, and it all adds up to an effortless perfect lifestyle.
The appearance of Royalty has always been a spectacle, and for the subjects, an image which although they could never aspire to, was a powerful and colourful reminder that Royalty, although a breed apart, was a vision of wonder, embodying power, and everything that was great.
Down the ages this has sufficed. There were critics of course, often with devastating consequences as members of Royal families were captured, deposed, murdered, exiled and replaced.
In the U.K. Royalty held a very significant place in history. There were turbulent years, but the Royals survived. They had connections to other Royal families both through marriage and blood lines, and due to the U.K. playing a significant role abroad, the Monarchy grew in strength and stabilized.
The U.K. became a rich country and this was reflected by the increasing wealth and status of the Monarchy greatly supported by religious hierarchy.
As far as the history of nineteenth and twentieth centuries go, we rely on what the history books tell us. Fewer people are around today to give a first hand account of how the Royals were portrayed in the mid nineteen hundreds.
With two world wars and an abdication happening within a fairly short space of time, it was clearly a time for the Royal family to play a meaningful and pragmatic part in how they were viewed by the country.
It was seen as a turning point, and it included a young girl, Princess Elizabeth, never imagining her future would become of such significance, gradually taking centre stage, till one day following the death of her father in 1952, she became Queen at the age of 25.
From that day till literally two days before her death in 2022, she was a Monarch who not only managed to rule effectively, with the utmost dedication and sense of duty, but kept her distance from political judgement and still managed to have that enigmatic aura surrounding her.
She didn`t appear to be an ostentatious person, as apparently her tastes were very modest from both a style and material point of view, and she seemed happiest in a rural setting amongst her beloved horses.
Her surroundings on the other hand told a different story.
The wealth of the Royal assets is enormous.They own huge amounts of property and land which generate equally huge revenue.
Added to that are the vast backdrops of pageantry and symbols of power and prosperity which have been gathered and passed down over the years.
Much of this is evident in the rituals and ceremonies which consist of ancient and colourful displays of uniformed personnel and accompanied by military hardwear, horses, and music, all steeped in tradition and history. Precision and discipline are key to how these colourful spectacles unfold and are delivered at grand occasions such as the Coronation.
People love it, especially tourists who see it as a presentation of pure theatre and something that their own countries may lack.
Undoubtedly it brings in a great deal of money, as observers come from far and wide to witness a Royal occasion, and it generates a feeling of pride and nostalgia.
Others feel it it represents a bygone age when life was different and it is out of step with a modern country and Commonwealth.
Whenever a member of the Royal family moves around, they are seldom seen without an entourage of security, dedicated cars, and accompanying support in order to keep them safe and make sure they reach their destination.
Today, just as in ancient times, many see the Royals as almost unreal people, but speaking of them as if they know them.
It is the same sense of seeing a life which is presumed perfect in every way, and knowing it is unattainable for the ordinary person, but a comforting picture to have in the reality of a mundane world.
However, more than ever, we now have a society where the media, particularly social media, have the ability to not only reach into the lives of others, but report on what they find, or think they find.
The Royal family is a very rich source for this type of commentary.
Not only can they now be seen around the world, there is no escape for them. Wherever there is a Royal there will probably be a camera.
This brings with it a whole new slant on how the Royals are seen but also from their point of view how they live their day to day lives.
It would be fair to say, that although huge numbers of people still view the Royals as the perfect, privileged icons who can do no wrong, the days of them putting out that particular message have perhaps altered slightly.
The Queen kept that air of mystery about her for seventy years on the throne, never wavering. No one knew what she thought, how she felt or what she did when out of the spotlight. Her image was intact and the world loved and respected her for it.
It is perhaps harder for the next generation of Royals to follow that model.They have grown up with more media pressure and intrusion, and we have been privy to much more of their personal lives. Perhaps this has begun to dispel the magic a bit?
We know what many of them think, what they do and they can be vocal about it.
The King and Queen will be no exception. We know a lot about them and it`s not all a fairy tale. Many will have watched them both grow up,especially the King, and will already have formed opinions.
As well as the tendency of seeing the Royals as having perfect lives, the public can also be very ruthless and scathing when they want to be, if they feel the image is not being fulfilled, so it will be a tight rope for the new Monarchs to get right.
Expectations will be made of them, and they will differ to previous ones. Equally, they may want to travel down a different route to the traditional Royal way.
Their progress will be followed and commented upon relentlessly along with that of other members of the family.
This is a new reign with a very hard act to follow, which would be stressful in anybody`s book, but bearing in mind their ages, one that most people would not welcome.
The Coronation will indeed be a momentous historical and social occasion, but one which may well give many, including the Royals a little food for thought as to how to proceed in the future.
No doubt the Royal couple will be nervous and anxious as anyone would be. Despite the rehearsals and support, it will be a nerve wracking experience, but we know enough about them to know that they will help each other through the day, and that is something that would never have been known at previous Coronations, so they are indeed human after all!
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