Britain’s King Charles III receives St Edward’s Crown during his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 2023. , Photo Credit: AP
The last time Britain saw a coronation ceremony of a king and queen consort was in 1937, when Calcutta – now Kolkata – belonged to the British Crown and was naturally a part of the event. Today, even though the city has retained much of its colonial past – more so than any other Indian city – its people remained largely indifferent to the coronations of Charles III and Camilla.
When Queen Elizabeth dies in September 2022 His son’s succession to the throne hardly evokes any emotion, leaving many in Kolkata emotive, the same people not much impressed by his personal character.
“Many people don’t have the same reverence for his mother, the late Queen. She was known for her outspoken public behavior. We can’t say the same for Charles. Inability to be firm about marrying his first love , now queen consort, speaks of their lack of determination. As we all know, it caused a lot of grief all around,” said Sudeshna Chakraborty, a retired teacher.
“Despite amassing enormous personal wealth, he has made no specific commitments to reducing the royal’s reliance on public money. His spat with his young son Harry and his wife is unbecoming of a father who is also a monarch. Yes , they said they were going to allow researchers to investigate royal involvement in the slave trade, but have yet to say anything about reparations,” Ms Chakraborty said.
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Krishna Rajeshwari Mitra, a descendant of Raja Navakrishna Deb, who contributed to the British victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, said: “Does the coronation of Charles matter to me? Not really, because I am not sure what good he does for India.” Could. But I appreciate the gesture that they invited Andrew Parker Bowles, ex-husband of the current Queen, to the event. But if Lady Diana were still alive, would they have invited her too?”
Many people appeared to miss Princess Diana. Manjila Fatima, Kolkata-based great-granddaughter of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, said: “The monarchy which ended the monarchy in India by dethroning Wajid Ali Shah and which did not recognize the coronation of his and Begum Hazrat Mahal’s son Birjis Quder, Still intact. The glorification of his legacy and the celebration of the coronation of King Charles III. So ironic! Having said that, if I had to accept the new King and Queen, I would say that Lady Diana better play the role as it is her son who is the future heir to the throne.
UK resident Jane Richter, a historian and a tour operator and frequent visitor to Kolkata, is not surprised by the city’s indifference to the coronation. “If the people of Kolkata find themselves questioning the monarchy of today, they are not alone in thinking so! Also, Charles is not as popular as his mother. And the entire royal family as it stands now, It’s in a bit of a tizzy. I think that lack of interest is reflected, to a degree, in the UK itself.