LONDON – Malgorzata Gut said she traveled to England from Poland ahead of the coronation of Charles III, the King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms.
The world’s eyes will turn to the six-horse-drawn Diamond Jubilee State Coach’s 1.3-mile journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and the return in a 260-year-old Gold State Coach.
Gut said she was looking forward to witnessing the historic King’s procession on Saturday, which will travel down The Mall to St. James’s Park, turn at Parliament Street, and end at Westminster Abbey.
“I am a big fan of the royal family,” Gut said Thursday while exploring London.
The stores featured memorabilia celebrating British pride. Jim Page said his mother was in London to witness the procession of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
“She was actually camped out on The Mall, so I thought it would be nice just to come and see where she was,” Page said. “It’s very special because I was three when the queen was crowned. This is the first coronation that I will experience as an adult.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will conduct the ancient ritual. King Charles III will accept The St. Edwards Crown. Camilla will be crowned as queen consort. Page said he thinks the new king and queen will “make a good team” for the UK.
“I think you have to look forward,” Page said. “What happened to Diana was a great tragedy, but things move on and we just have to look to the future.”
There will be about 2,800 guests including First Lady Jill Biden, who is scheduled to visit the U.S. Embassy on Friday, in London. The list of the world’s royals in attendance includes Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and his wife, Kiko; and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
Lionel Richie, who has worked with The Prince’s Trust charity, will be headlining the concert on Sunday at Windsor Castle, along with fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry. Helen Ravens said she is looking forward to the events.
“It’s a big celebration for the country, so yeah we are for it,” Raven said on Thursday in London. “We think the royals have earned their keep.”
Ian Ravens said there needs to be a reduction in the number of working royals and to be more relevant in the way they relate to the general public.
“I think they do need to modernize more,” Ian Ravens said.
Not everyone will be celebrating, anti-monarchy groups are allowed to protest peacefully at the Trafalgar Square in central London. Becca Walkins, a big fan of the royal family and a supporter of the 74-year-old king, won’t be anywhere near them.
“He has earned his position,” Walkins said. “He is born into the role. I think that he is of an age now when it has got to be done soon rather than later and he deserves this position ... I think he is going to do quite a lot for the environment and he has worked hard to get here and he has been trained for the position. I am quite happy that he is going to be king.”
Gut agreed and said, “I really appreciate that he is so open to people and that he pays attention to different religions and he is focused on ecology as well.”
Nearby, Prince William poured a pint of Kingmaker, a pale ale brewed ahead of the coronation, at the historic Dog and Duck pub in London’s Soho entertainment district.
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, greeted tourists, and announced that her 9-year-old son Prince George, the second in line for the throne, was “excited!” He will serve as one of the four pages of honor.
After the sun set Thursday night, Big Ben lit up in red. The die-hard royal fans — who started to camp out as early as Wednesday — secured their spots near police officers amid higher security.
Nearby, on Tuesday, police officers arrested a 59-year-old man who was armed with a lock knife and threw shotgun cartridges at Buckingham Palace No one was injured.
COMPLETE COVERAGE
Torres contributed to this report from Miami.