For many, King Charles III achieved his ambition for a diverse and inclusive coronation, though not everyone agreed.
There were far more black and brown faces in Westminster Abbey than 70 years ago, as would be expected given societal change over Elizabeth II’s reign.
One place there were none, of course, was on the Buckingham Palace balcony, as was observed by the Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh – who contrasted on the ITV coverage “the rich diversity of the abbey” and “a terribly white balcony”.
Race has become an incredibly sensitive issue for the palace recently: witness Harry and Meghan’s allegations of unconscious bias within the institution, and the headline-grabbing row when a black charity worker was repeatedly asked by the late queen’s lady-in-waiting at a palace reception about where she was from.
Andoh became a target of abuse from online trolls for her comment, and later told the Guardian it had not been her “intention to upset anyone” and that she would “continue to celebrate the king” during “an exciting moment in our history”.
Sunder Katwala, the director of the thinktank British Future, said: “The departure of Meghan and Harry was definitely a missed opportunity for a modern monarchy. Because that wedding was symbolising tradition and diversity in a way this coronation tried to do and clearly that didn’t work in terms of keeping her in the royal family. So that exacerbates a challenge that they’ve got, which is to reach across generations, as much as to reach across ethnic groups.”
As such, there was much riding on the coronation. The procession of faith leaders, a reading by a Hindu prime minister and the glorious Ascension Choir were just some of many elements woven into a service that strived to reflect modern Britain.
Adding a catch-all preface to the oath that spoke of an established church that “will seek to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely”, apparently included at the express desire of the king, was another innovation.
Halima Begum, the CEO of the Runnymede Trust, said: “In the context of a ceremony that traces its roots back to medieval times, it was lovely to see the diversity and representation that the king really insisted building in.” She found particularly moving the “care and respect” the king showed for “plurality of faiths” in modern Britain.
The question remained: would “the dawn of this new Carolean era mark some kind of reckoning with the complexities of our past, including colonialism and slavery?” she said.
“I feel confident that in Charles III we have a monarch who is sensitised to those broader issues and – where future governments serving the king can move beyond their contrived and polarising culture wars – he will use his reign to build on the progress that was embodied in the diversity of Saturday’s service and congregation.”
Qari Asim, the chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, said: “It created an environment where people felt a genuine attempt to include people. And this is reflective of the multifaith, multicultured Britain that we live in now. And King Charles has a track record of showing deep respect to other people’s faiths, beliefs, cultures, as well as care for the planet.”
The chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, thanked the king for allowing him and his wife to stay overnight at St James’s Palace over Shabbat so that he could attend the coronation without using motorised transport. “For me, the whole experience has proven to be a most wonderful illustration of a society which truly values diversity and respects difference,” he said.
Floella Benjamin, the Liberal Democrat peer who carried the sceptre with dove through the abbey, said before the coronation that she felt honoured and privileged, and that being selected for the role sent “a clear message that diversity and inclusion is being embraced”.
She was far from the only black dignitary with a very prominent role: Lady Amos participated in the recognition, when the king was presented to the congregation as “your undoubted king”, and Prof Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, the first sickle cell nurse specialist in the UK, who has devoted her career to working with black and minority ethnic communities, carried the golden orb.
In a statement to the Guardian on Sunday, Andoh said: “Yesterday King Charles prayed out loud ‘grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace’. Such a loving prayer, reflecting his wide embrace of the rich diverse peoples celebrating his coronation – and I was one of them – brilliantly included throughout the service.
“Sitting in the warmth of that intentionally wide embrace, I was simply caught by the visual shift on the balcony – not a particularly original observation. There was no intention to upset anyone. I continue to celebrate the king who created the Prince’s Trust, loves the arts, cares for all faiths and for the future of our environment, as he has done for many decades. It’s an exciting moment in our history.”
But not everyone was so praising of the service. Kehinde Andrews, a professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, called it a “sham” and “nonsense”, saying too much of it was “infused” with colonialism.
“The idea they would not use the Koh-i-Noor diamond, because of colonialism, yet use regalia including the Cullinan diamond, which was stolen from South Africa, from some of the poorest people in the world. That’s their treasure, right? And it’s on parade in the coronation, and we’re supposed to be celebrating it.”
He added: “What the diversity reminds us of is that the British empire has always been pretty diverse. The Commonwealth, which is just the empire rebranded and another good example of this charade, has always been predominantly black and brown people. It’s not progress, it’s just the same thing with a PR spin.
“The idea that you could have a coronation of a British monarch that was anti-racist is frankly ludicrous. It’s something that just can’t be reformed. You just need to not have it. It shouldn’t exist.”
But Katwala believes the challenge for the royals regarding race has only just begun. He said: “Because the coronation is 1,000 years old, it can be the most powerful symbol when it chooses to recognise a changing Britain. So I think the images and optics of the coronation were an attempt to blend tradition with the modern, diverse, multifaith Britain we now are.
“I think at the level of symbolism it shows goodwill and good intent. You’ve got to carry that through over the years ahead, and that’s where the challenge will lie.”
