The last time Britain saw a coronation ceremony for a King and Queen Consort was in 1937, when Calcutta — now Kolkata — belonged to the British Crown and was naturally a part of the event. Today, even though the city retains a lot of its colonial past — far more than any other Indian city — its people remained largely indifferent to the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.
While the demise of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022 made many in Kolkata emotional, her son’s succession to the throne appears to hardly generate any feeling, with the same people not very impressed by his personal character.
“A lot of people do not have the same reverence they had for his mother, the late Queen. She was known for her impeccable public behaviour. We cannot say the same for Charles. His inability to remain firm about marrying his first love, now Queen Consort, speaks of his lack of determination. It also led to a lot of sadness all around as we all know,” said Sudeshna Chakraborti, a retired teacher.
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