“King Charles III’s Historic Coronation: Splendor, Protests, and Yawning Royals”

A day after the official coronation of King Charles III, British media hailed the “historic ceremony”. Newspapers especially emphasize the many years that Charles had to wait until the crown was put on his head.

“Finally” (finally) is a word that is often repeated and much is also written about the “splendor” of the ceremony. But there is also attention for the criticism of the police action against demonstrators, the animated faces of Prince Louis and the sometimes somewhat tense face of Charles.

“King Charles is finally becoming the man he was meant to be after 74 long years of service,” writes The Sun. The tabloid speaks of the “crowning glory“, or the crowning glory of Charles’ work. The Guardian newspaper also underlines the more than seven decades that the 74-year-old Charles had to wait until yesterday.

The Sunday papers open with large pictures of King Charles with the crown on his head:

“An exuberant ritual”, is how The Guardian describes the coronation. There is also attention for the criticism of the monarchy: “Splendor, pageantry and protests”, the newspaper headlines.

Police in London arrested 52 protesters yesterday. According to the demonstrators, many arrests were made without reason. The social democratic opposition party Labor, among others, expressed criticism of the police’s actions. Concerns are also expressed in the British media about the right to protest.

Furthermore, Prince Louis – the youngest child of Prince William and Duchess Kate – received the necessary attention from the media, just like at the jubilee party of the late Queen Elizabeth last year. Louis, 5, was spotted yawning several times during the ceremony, showing off his “version of the royal wave,” the BBC writes. “The two-handed swing, similar to the movement of windshield wipers, may have been appropriate for a rainy day.”

British media used the coronation to unleash behavior experts on the body language and facial expressions of the new king. “King Charles’s body language showed ‘unmistakable signs of fear’ before the coronation,” headlines the Mirror tabloid. An op-ed in The Guardian speaks of a “gloomy Charles”.

The Sunday Times had a different reading: “Of course King Charles looked anxious – the day was about stateliness, not joy”.

These were the main moments of the coronation:

In the absence of Meghan Markle, The Sun saw an opportunity to critically highlight Prince Harry’s wife. “It’s outrageous. Meghan has no idea what politeness is anymore. Does she think she’s bigger than the monarchy now?”

Tabloids like The Sun have long been under fire for the way they write about Meghan. Prince Harry is not spared either. “Lonely Harry,” writes the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald.

American newspapers describe the ceremony as a mix of ancient customs and modern elements. The Washington Post describes the coronation as “medieval, modern and memorable”. The New York Times speaks of “an ancient ceremony with a modern twist”.