Member-only story
God Save the King
A classic British celebration can’t do without a spot of rain — and King Charles III’s “big day” was a continuation of a long tradition of rainy coronation days in Britain in the last century. It rained for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in June 1953 and it is raining during the coronation for her son today. According to the U.K.’s Met Office weather records, the morning of June 2, 1953, began with “the odd spot or two of rain which became heavier and more persistent as the morning progressed.” The rainy weather continued throughout the day and it was cold for June.
May 6, 2023 also did not disappoint anyone. It rained all day and almost nonstop. In the morning thousands of people in the streets and parks of central London were wearing rain ponchos and carrying umbrellas ready for King Charles’ long-awaited coronation.
Similar scenes could be seen outside Westminster Abbey: excited crowds waving Union Jack flags despite the possibility that the heavens would open. Very soon that (un)expectedly happened.