Coronation countdown!
What we know so far about the Coronation, including Harry’s visit and who is playing at the concert
This week, after much speculation, it was finally revealed Prince Harry will attend the Coronation.
Harry, who has clearly been deliberating over whether to fly over, will come to the ceremony alone, on May 6. It is the same day as Archie’s fourth birthday, so Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will stay home in California. His children were not formally invited to the event.
According to The Telegraph, the news Harry is coming was met with pleasure by the King and increases hopes of a reconciliation – or at least a truce – in the future. “Royal sources said his decision had pleased the King, who was keen to have the support of both his sons at the ceremony,” the paper reported. “There has been growing speculation that the pair may even have spoken in recent weeks.” One friend said, “Things are certainly moving in the right direction. Hopefully, the worst is over.”
Harry is expected to attend the ceremony, but not take part in wider celebrations. He won’t appear on the balcony, which is limited to working royals, or the Coronation Concert on the Sunday.
Kerry wrote an opinion piece for The Sunday Telegraph this week, likening Harry and Meghan to the other “inconvenient exiles” – the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Like Edward VIII, who lived the rest of his life in France with Wallis Simpson, he’ll always be the “problematic” relative, the one who went away but can never quite get away. Edward was not invited to the late Queen’s wedding in 1947, or her coronation in 1953. He never reconciled with his family, or you could surmise, his decision. Interestingly, it was recently announced his former home, now called Villa Windsor, west of Paris – which was renovated by Mohamed Al-Fayed - is being turned into a museum. As replayed on The Crown, Prince Charles visited the Duke of Windsor there in 1970. “The whole thing seemed so tragic - the existence, the people, the atmosphere - that I was relieved to escape it after 45 minutes,” Charles wrote in his diary. “I found footmen and pages wearing identical uniforms to the ones ours wear at home. It was rather pathetic.”
Two years later, Edward died and only then was he allowed to come home to his family, poignantly, to the burial ground at Frogmore.
Rock on with royalty
“Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” Get ready to dance on the ceiling come Sunday May 7, because another major Coronation announcement was made this week, the highly-anticipated headline acts for the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.
Among the stars entertaining King Charles and Queen Camilla will be Lionel Richie, coincidentally the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2019 and Katy Perry, an ambassador for the King’s charity, The British Asian Trust. Take That’s Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are also taking to the stage. And with the King being a classical music fan, he’ll be pleased to hear opera singer Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel performing a duet. A Coronation Choir representing “the many voices of the country” will also be joined by a virtual choir from the Commonwealth. According to the BBC, more performers will be announced soon.
Although the public ballot is now closed with winners of the 10,000 free tickets being notified by late-April, the rest of us can watch it on TV or listen on the radio. Exact timings for the concert are yet to be announced but it will be broadcast live on BBC One, iPlayer, Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
Enjoy a royal tea
Get into the spirt with a Coronation-themed afternoon tea. Some of our favourite hotels in London are putting on royal feasts and our sister newsletter The British Travel List outlined our top picks. For a flavour, here are some of our favourites:
The Covent Garden Hotel has a Royal Afternoon Tea and Royal Cocktail, inspired by the King’s love of whisky and Darjeeling tea.
The Rubens at the Palace has a Coronation afternoon tea, special Coronation Indian Feast and Lanson Champagne dinner on May 5.
The Guardsman also has a Royally Good Afternoon Tea and Palatial Feast consisting of a set-menu dinner inspired from A Royal Cookbook – the approved cook book from the Royal Household.
The Goring is serving a Coronation afternoon tea and Coronation Tasting Menu in the Dining Room.
Stock up on fabulous collectibles
If you can’t make any of the above royal teas and feasts in London, what better way to celebrate at home than with a delicious slice of cake on an official Coronation dessert plate. On sale at the Royal Collection shop for £50, the design on this English fine bone china, finished in 22 carat gold, features the royal coat of arms and the national emblems of the four nations of the UK. The entwined ribbon represents the partnership of the King and Queen. We just hope there are no soggy bottoms on the big day and the sun shines!
Read a nostalgic treat from 1953
This Friday, April 21, would have been the late Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. While we will always miss her, The Royal List’s Maria came across a nostalgic treat in a charity shop, London A To Z by John Metcalf. First published in 1953, as a guidebook to help the estimated three million visitors who flooded London’s streets to catch a glimpse of the young Queen’s Coronation.
The book is still available to buy, here and you will not be disappointed. It’s witty, charming and a captivating glimpse into a world that has mostly gone. Maria particularly loved the sections West End Restaurants with Dancing and Lovely Sweet Violets. This was the famous cry of the flower girls of Piccadilly Circus, which in 1953 could still be heard down Haymarket.