A SCATTERING of Union flags, ripples of applause and a mix of views on the monarchy were evident at the screening of the coronation in Edinburgh.
While hundreds turned out to watch the ceremony in Princes Street Gardens under grey skies in the capital, the venue at the Ross Bandstand was far from packed out.
Some royal fans waved Union and coronation flags, while one woman sported a crown. Not everyone in the crowd, however, was a supporter of the monarchy.
Among those watching was Ewen Carr, from Edinburgh, who had come along because it was “an event”.
“I don’t really give a shit about the royals in general, but I fancied being outside and this seemed like more fun,” he said.
Asked whether he thinks the royal family will survive, following the death of the Queen, he said: “Sadly yes, the UK is incapable of reform”.
“Scottish independence is the only way the UK will change in any way and that was one of the reasons for making me vote it in the first place,” he added. “But sadly we are stuck with them.”
There were plenty of tourists among the crowd, including Sophie who had travelled from Austria specially to be in the UK for the royal occasion.
She said: “We came to the Platinum Jubilee last year in London but it was a bit crowded. That is why we thought we would like to be in the United Kingdom to participate, but not be in the centre of it.
“For me, it is a little bit of living history actually, and I really liked Queen [Elizabeth] a lot. Now I want to stick with it and can’t wait until Kate will be Queen.”
On the debate over whether the UK should ditch the royal family and become a republic, she said: “I think they are always up for discussion, every time especially when such big events come up.
“But I think they are very beneficial for tourism, especially for the United Kingdom and so on.
“I think Charles has a very good approach that he wants to slim the monarchy a little bit down.
“They will survive and they are also changing and adapting in their environment and I think they do it compared to other royal families in the best possible way.”
She added: “I am not a monarchist, I just like the royals. I like to vote and be democratic and so on, but they have something special about them.”
Elaine Thomas had come from just outside Edinburgh to watch the screening with her children and said she hoped her three-year-old would be able to remember it when she grows up.
“We came along just to celebrate with everyone else and enjoy some of the atmosphere,” she said.
“We came in for the Queen’s funeral and it is nice to see the coronation in this setting below the castle.”
She said the royal family is “great for the country” and she would like them to survive.
“Obviously there is the argument of the cost to the taxpayer, but I think it’s worth it and I pay taxes,” she added.
Key moments during the two-hour-long coronation ceremony drew a reaction from the crowd – but it was far from wild scenes of jubilance.
Sometimes all the pomp and ceremony proved too much. At one point the solemn commentary from BBC presenter Huw Edwards was met with some laughter when it came to the mention of the Supertunica – the coat made of gold silk worn by the King.
“That’s brilliant,” a voice in the crowd could be heard to say.
Just before the crown was placed on Charles’s head there was a lone cry of “not my King” from somewhere in Princes Street gardens.
The moment was marked with a 21-gun salute from Edinburgh Castle, drawing some applause, cheers and waving of Union flags from the crowd.
However, one major new tradition which was supposed to be included in the coronation ceremony was largely ignored.
Billed as a “joyful moment” for millions to take part in, the public were supposed to be encouraged to cry out and “swear allegiance” to the monarch and his heirs during the ceremony.
But the wording was changed at the last minute after a huge backlash and few watching the big screen in Edinburgh appeared to join in with the chant of “God save King Charles”.
Only a handful of people in the crowd also got to their feet when God Save The King was played towards the closing of the ceremony.
The verdict on it afterwards from Nicole, from the USA, had been that it had been “beautiful”.
“I think there is something in the traditions, the whole thing was really well done,” she said.
“As an American, I do think they should keep the tradition going, I really do. I think it is important.”
But James, who is also from the USA and studying at St Andrews, said he was aware of the debate over keeping the royals.
“I would say as a citizen of a republic I am kind of happy that personally I do not have a monarch, so that affords me the ability to enjoy it in another country while not being a subject to monarchy, or having to pay for it,” he said.
“I have friends who are royalists and friends who are republicans in the UK and I have to say both of them have given me good valid arguments, so I am a bit of a tourist when it comes to my personal opinion.”
