Monday Memory: May 6, 2023

Today’s Monday Memory has to be the coronation of Charles III, which took place one year ago yesterday. Multiple commentators are noting the first year of Charles’ reign has been so different from what anyone expected. That day last May was rainy, but it was also radiant and bursting with the energy of a new era. Everything indicated the future was bright, yet within the year, both the King and the Princess of Wales were diagnosed with cancer and out of commission.

Roya Nikkhah had a long article in the Times over the weekend discussing Charles’ frustration at his diagnosis and how it has slowed the plans he has for his reign.

In the ornate, gilded 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon, the King and Queen relived some of the most memorable moments of their coronation at an engagement marking a year since their crowning. Standing side by side in front of a video screen, Charles and Camilla watched clips of their procession into Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 to the sound of a trumpet fanfare and the choir singing Vivat Rex Carolus! Vivat Regina Camilla!.

At the time, the great unknowns were whether the pages of honour might tread on their robes, if the crowns would stay in place and how long the Duke of Sussex would linger before dashing back to California. All those worries now seem so minor, in light of the news earlier this year that both the King and the Princess of Wales are undergoing cancer treatment — two body blows to the monarchy at the start of the new Carolean era.

Apparently, Charles, who has spent years as a king in waiting, has found the sudden pause in forward momentum to be doubly irritating.

“[Charles] has been frustrated, because there is still so much he wants to achieve,” says a source close to Charles of his three-month hiatus from public duties since his diagnosis. “He holds himself to very high standards of public service and genuinely feels he’s letting people and organisations down if he’s not out there doing all those public bits of his formal role.”

A friend puts it more bluntly: “He’s a bloody caged lion, driving everyone round the twist if he’s stuck at home.”

I am sure Kate, too, has felt the change keenly. She had just ascended to the prestigious (and coveted) title Princess of Wales, her children were just starting to step into the spotlight more often, and the family was busier than ever. What a change a year makes. But I guess that is the way of life for everyone. We all have those events that define time before the event/news and time after.

Still, I am glad we got this wonderful coronation before the double tragedy stuck the Windsors. We needed it after the Queen’s death, and in many ways, in anticipation of the rough year to follow.

Last year, I had had my son very recently, and my husband and I were just learning to be parents and were very sleep deprived. I told him I was going to get up early to watch the Coronation, and he replied, “Why not? We’ll be awake anyway.” And indeed we were, although my husband might have been yawning with Prince Louis throughout.

I missed some of the finer details of the day. Sifting back through hundreds of pictures for this post, I did not remember Pippa Middleton’s picture perfect outfit.

This pale yellow coatdress was by Claire Mischevani, and Pippa paired it with a Jane Taylor hat. I love the entire ensemble from tip to toe.

I rewatch Kate’s wedding every year, and now I think I will need to watch the Coronation again. These significant state events really are the monarchy at is finest, and I relish every bit of history, symbolism, and pageantry.

This post is delayed because I wanted to add a bunch new photos—different from those I shared last year. I had trouble with one of my licensing accounts, although I was able to download some new images before I hit the hiccups with the software. I shared this photo below last year, but in light of this post’s theme, it is worth repeating this year. Despite the the difficulties of Charles’s first year, it seems both Kate and Charles will recover, and these joyful images from a year ago should still represent the promise of a bright future, albeit a delayed one.

I can’t wait to see the Wales family back beaming on the balcony soon.