God Save Our Gracious King

Shall I tell you what I thought about the Coronation? It is my favorite topic right now, and I have heard lots of people in St Ives talking it over. Shop keepers, workmen, visitors, and especially the Vicar. He said (and I agree with him) that King Charles nailed it when he vowed "to serve, rather than to be served". Archbishop Welby and Charles both clarified that the king he would serve was Jesus Christ, who also came to serve.

Not many world leaders say things like that. 

At her own Coronation in June of 1953, Queen Elizabeth made the same vow. The vow of service. I had been a little afraid the script this time might be somehow changed, rewritten, made more modern and therefore less meaningful. But it wasn't. It didn't. He pledged to serve with 'loyalty, respect and love', also speaking of Elizabeth and his sorrow in losing her. 

"That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today."

By the end of it, I was more than ready to join in their National Anthem:

God save our gracious King

Long live our noble King,

God save the King!

Send him victorious, 

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King!

And - what about the golden carriage! We have seen a replica of it that someone had put into a hotel at Lake Havasu in Arizona. It was beautiful, but not compared to this! (the replica was actually horribly out of place in the desert). I've never seen so much gold leaf, have you? We could see the kingly couple sitting together in awe of all that was happening, and would happen. I wondered what they were saying, or if they had been too nervous to eat breakfast. I don't think I could have eaten if I were about to have an enormous crown placed upon my head in front of BILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

And did you see Prince Harry in the service? Some news outlet or other had shouted that Harry would be put in the 7th row, far far from the other royals in retaliation for him being mean. I watched for this. But in he walked, strolling over to the second row, and smiling to beat the band. 

(But where was Meghan? I want to know).

There is more to be said, but I'm tired. It was a lovely day filled with walking, and talking, and laughing and eating, along with solving the problems of the world. Maybe the world should read the British National Anthem, whose third verse says:

Not in this land alone,

But be God's mercies known,

From shore to shore!

Lord make the nations see,

That men should brothers be,

And form one family,

The wide world o'er.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady