By Dr Frank Millard on Thursday, 11 May 2023
Category: The Politics of Culture

Coronation Reflections

Our undoubted king has been anointed, crowned, walked through the Abbey accompanied by his queen, preceded by a priestess sword bearer - the lady of the lake.

So far, so good. Britain was almost united again as it is sometimes and usually on a royal occasion, understanding implicitly that our monarch (but not their wider family) best represents our nation in common cause and at its best.

Detractors aside, whose negativity was a public reflection of the ills and prejudices of the age in which we live, it was a success.

There was some criticism of the changes and modernising of the coronation service, but by and large the updates worked. The coronation should not be judged on what innovations or contemporary novelties have been introduced, though, but how true it was to what it should be.

Whereas modernising by itself does not make anything more relevant, understanding how something can better reflect contemporary social reality can be positive if kept in context and if it adds to rather than replaces.

Unfortunately, a brief look at (anti-)social media strips bare any delusion of national unity more generally. We are divided as if by policy, made to feel guilty and blame others for our guilt and everything that does not accord with our opinions.

What we sometimes forget is that the truth does not take sides, but is itself. We can only seek and serve it, not try to use its name to support opinions based on a subjective perspective.

For a brief moment we have seen a united country in all its cultural, political and social diversity happily and gloriously reflected back at us. We can learn or we can tweet and share our prejudices again. It is up to us.

God Save the King