Thousands of picnics and street parties took place in London on Sunday as Britons celebrated the crowning of King Charles III amid burgeoning questions about the place of the monarchy in a modern era.
Union Jack bunting flapped in the wind over city parks while cheery locals wore gold paper crowns or clothing that matched the flag, in red, white and blue.
It was a more unassuming celebration, one day after a coronation that saw jewel-encrusted sceptres, a golden orb, and a heavy solid gold crown presented to the 40th reining monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey
As part of the weekend festivities marking the bank holiday weekend, The Coronation Big Lunch was intended to bring “neighbours and communities together to share friendship, food and fun.” The annual event, run by Eden Project Communities since 2009, has had Queen Camilla as its patron since 2013.
One of the most high-profile Big Lunches today was steps away from the scene of the coronation, Westminster Abbey.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted his own Big Lunch for guests including community heroes, Ukrainians forced to flee their homes, and their U.K. sponsors, as well as dignitaries such as U.S. first lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter, Finnegan Biden.
“Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the U.K.,” Sunak said in a statement before the lunch, hosted at Downing Street, which was adorned with bunting featuring the coronation emblem and the Union Jack flag.
The menu featured food from across the U.K. including: Loch Duart salmon from Sutherland in Scotland; soda farl from Northern Ireland; beef from Gloucestershire in southwest England and ice cream from Chilly Cow based in Ruthin, Wales.
Other items included sausage rolls and coronation chicken – which was invented for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. There was also coronation quiche of beans, spinach, and cheddar suited to the King’s taste, which was unveiled by Buckingham Palace as the “perfect” meal for a Coronation Big Lunch.
A coronation themed table setting is seen during a lunch hosted by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty at Downing Street on May 7, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“I am proud to welcome Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and some incredible community heroes to Downing Street for our very own Coronation lunch to celebrate this historic moment,” Sunak said.
“In England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – and across our Overseas Territories and the wider Commonwealth – people are marking this momentous occasion in the spirit of unity and hope for the future.”
One of the guests, Errol McKellar, spoke to CTV News as he and his wife Sharon left the party, which he described as “absolutely wonderful.”
Errol McKellar and his wife Sharon were among the guests at The Coronation Big Lunch the U.K. prime minister hosted. (Mary Nersessian / CTV News)
McKellar, a prostate cancer survivor, has received the Points of Light award for his work with his namesake charity, The Errol McKellar Foundation, which encourages more “at risk” Black men to be tested for prostate cancer.
“It was just good to spend the time with the prime minister, just to thank him for the great work that he’s doing, and mingle with people he’s been helping,” McKellar said.
“More importantly it was a nice get-together full of people from the public that do great, great things for the country.”
Khalid Raza, chair of Wheels to Heal, was another one of the invited guests, as a recipient of the Points of Light award.
Khalid Raza was another one of the guests invited to the event U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted at 10 Downing Street. (Mary Nersessian / CTV News)
His charity recycles unwanted mobility and disability aids destined for the landfill, sending them to developing countries.
“The prime minister and family came out, as well as some other politicians,” Raza said, speaking to CTV News outside Downing Street, adding that many of the invited guests, like himself, were winners of the award.
Asked about the place of the monarchy in Britain, Raza said, “There is room for change.
“I think change is happening, obviously there is always room for more change, but it seems to be going in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, CTV News’ Joy Malbon was at a large party at Regent’s Park with some 140 tables, making it potentially one of the larger parties in London.
Partygoers wore gold crowns and held British flags, coming together over tables covered with traditional favourites such as Victoria sponge with fresh berries and cream, pork pies, meringues, sausage rolls, Pimm’s, and Marks & Spencer sandwiches.
“I think he’s going to be a good King, so far, so good,” one of the partygoers, Danielle Cantillow, told Malbon.
“I just hope he continues the good work that his mom did, she gave up her whole life and I think she did a great job and I think he’ll follow in her footsteps, especially with Camilla at his side. I think he’ll do great.”
Not everyone at the street party was a supporter, though. Anti-monarchist Martin Fisher was at the street party along with his mother and told Malbon he doesn’t “consider the Royal Family to be relevant anymore, we have a parliamentary system and it doesn’t require a monarch,” he said.
Fisher said he was at a protest organized by anti-monarchist group Republic on Saturday. He added that then-Prince Charles’ support of environmentalism will “now be silenced because he is a King and he’s not allowed to speak.”
He said, “We ought to have a functioning democracy and I think the monarchy preserves a system that is archaic.”
The Associated Press reported that 19 million people watched the coronation on television in the U.K., according to ratings released by research organization Barb, which is about 40 per cent less than the viewers who watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
On Sunday, Charles and Camilla said in a statement that they were “deeply touched” by the celebration and “profoundly grateful both to all those who helped to make it such a glorious occasion – and to the very many who turned out to show their support.”
While the King and Queen are not going to be participating in any of the street parties, other members of the Royal Family are expected to make appearances in their place on Sunday, with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending a Big Lunch at Cranleigh in Surrey; Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence heading to a community street party in Swindon, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also due to join a lunch.
The King’s eldest son, Prince William, and his wife Kate, surprised people gathering outside Windsor Castle before the concert.
An interactive map shows where some of the parties will be taking place, not only in the U.K., but also in Canada, the U.S., Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Hungary, and Greece.
Then on Sunday evening, a special concert hosted by Hugo Bonneville will be held in Windsor with the castle as its backdrop, featuring performers such as Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, and Take That.
The concert will be attended by the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family, with an audience of 20,000, including 10,000 winners of a public ballot.
The concert is expected to last somewhere between two and three hours, rain or shine, and to be seen in more than 100 countries around the world. Locations across the U.K. will be lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations, according to the coronation website.
Some members of the Royal Family will continue to attend community events on Monday, which has been declared a bank holiday in the U.K.
On Monday, members of the public are encouraged to take part in The Big Help Out, in tribute to the King’s public service, and get involved by volunteering in local community projects, with more than 30,000 organizations participating.
The aim of the event is to bring communities together and “create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.”
According to the latest ICM polling quoted by the Buckingham Palace spokesperson, 6.5 million people have said they are planning to take part in The Big Help Out.
London’s Metropolitan Police said their coronation weekend policing continues, previously describing Operation Golden Orb as “one of the most important security operations” the country had planned.
Authorities are seen guarding London’s Westminster Abbey, ahead of the coronation of King Charles III. (Mary Nersessian / CTV News)
On coronation day, dozens of arrests were made, which prompted some MPs and protesters to accuse authorities of stifling free speech.
Among the arrests was Graham Smith, leader of the anti-monarchist group Republic, who was detained Saturday morning before the planned Trafalgar Square demonstration
Smith said he was arrested as he prepared for a peaceful protest and spent 16 hours in police custody.
“These arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country,” Smith said. “Each and every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame.”
The police acknowledged the criticism while defending their actions.
Commander Karen Findlay defended the police response as being “proportionate” given that it was a “once in a generation” event they were policing.
Today is the #BigLunch and our #Coronation📷 policing operation continues.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 7, 2023
We will again be out across London, keeping you safe, responding to calls and visiting community street parties. pic.twitter.com/q2GeJJg2il
With a report from CTV News’ Joy Malbon and The Associated Press
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