I’d been planning on photographing the Coronation for several years; there’s hardly a bigger event in the history of the Britain and the Royal Family than the crowning of a new monarch, and after the longest ever wait (70 years), King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, 2023. Until then, the two previous really big royal events I’d photographed were Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergusons’ wedding in 1986, and Prince William and Kate Middletons’ wedding in 2011. I spent a night on the streets of London to ensure a front row position for both of those occasions, and the Coronation would also mean ‘sleeping rough’ for a night.
I flew into London on Tuesday morning and spent a couple days with my parents in Surrey before loading up a small bag with some food and water, rain gear and camera equipment and caught a train into London Thursday morning. I took a few hours to scout the entire route of the Coronation procession and took some pictures before spending the night at my sister’s house in Bethnal Green. Then Friday morning, it was off to claim my spot on the route… and a 24 hour long wait for things to begin.
The best part about being at such a big event is the people you meet. It’s not all about the Royal Family or seeing the king and his family (I’ve photographed them more than a hundred times over the last 40+ years). But it’s about witnessing a historical moment in time– an event that will be remembered hundreds of years from now. It’s about being there in person and not watching it on TV from the comfort of your couch. It’s about being a part of a huge crowd all gathered together to witness a joyful occasion. And it’s about the eccentric characters that show up for these events, the pageantry, the security patrols with their machine guns and bullet proof vests, waiting through a long sleepless night at the front of your barricade and going for a stroll down the route at 3am, and hearing the sounds of conversations among friends, old and new.
I was fortunate to enjoy the company of several people around me. But it was Edwin (above), the 84 year old gardener from Norfolk, who attracted the attention of the world’s press. Time after time, reporters came over and interviewed him, asking him to recount the story about how, as a fourteen year old, he had stood on the exact same spot in 1953 to watch the Queen’s coronation go by. He was a fascinating character; I was in awe that at his age, he would barely sleep all night and was still able to stand for hours, even after the rain started.
There was also James from Dublin, a young Irishman who at the age of 17, had made his way over to London alone to indulge his passion for the monarchy. If you know your Anglo-Irish history, you know just how unusual that is. Then there was Pete from Romsey, and Pam from Devon, and the three women from County Tyrone who had all made they way to our spot in front of Clarence House to enjoy the ‘show.’
Old high school friends– Kathy, Barb and Michele… Michele and I were in 8th grade together in 1979, and I hadn’t seen any of them since 1983.
And for me, there was the added bonus of meeting up with friends I hadn’t seen since we were in high school together in Surrey, back in 1983, 40 years ago. All three of us were fortunate to shake the King’s hand when he did an impromptu walkabout on Friday afternoon. Then in the evening, my sister Julie stopped by for a visit and to keep me company for a while.
11:06pm, settling in for the long night ahead…
On Saturday, the big day, the sky lightened up at 4:30am and the crowds stirred. It would another four hours until anything happened, but we were kept busy with interviews for Edwin, and the surge of crowds behind us, now at least a dozen people deep and straining to get closer (strong elbows are the order of the day to hold your spot at the front).
By the time Charles and Camilla rode down the Mall in their carriage, the rain was falling and it barely let up the rest of the day. But the crowd was in good spirits and when the newly crowned king and queen returned to Buckingham Palace, everyone was ready with cheers and mobile phones held high. Fortunately, Charles was sitting on my side of the road and I was able to get some decent photos of him through the windows of the carriage, despite the continual jostling of the masses all around me.
Then the chaos began…
Once the royals are comfortably ensconced in the palace at events like these, there seems to be no real thought given to crowd control– something I also observed after William and Kates’ wedding. The police led tens of thousands of people up the Mall from the far end of the street, while those of us who had waited patiently for over 24 hours had to figure out how to get to the palace to see the balcony appearance a few minutes later. In the end, I made it– just. From a position at the back of the crowd, I was able to just barely see the full balcony and get some pictures of the Family on the balcony, as they greeted the crowd– or rather watched the teeming masses jostling for a view down below. My mirrorless camera actually was invaluable by this point, as I was just able to hold the camera and 300mm lens over my head and compose on the flip-out screen. A fast shutter speed ensured I got a sharp image, even in the chaos and pouring rain.
All in all, it was a great experience. Am I happy with the photos I got? They’re ok, not as good as I’d hoped, but the experience was better than the images I made. Will I be at the next Coronation? Maybe, but I just hope it’s not for a long while now.