King Charles’ “Diverse” Coronation Was Designed To Distract

Over the weekend, I thought I would be able to let the King Charles III’ coronation pass me by. “It’s just like any other weekend,” I convinced myself, colleagues, and anyone who asked about my “corribobs” plans. The historic marking of the United Kingdom's (unelected) Head of State on May 6th, 2023 would be watched by millions globally but instead, I planned to enjoy the extra Bank Holiday weekend basking in sweet, sweet indifference, Pimms in hand. In my royal family fatigue, I told myself to leave the poncho-wearing and flag-waving to the royalists enjoying their £100 million pound soggy spectacle; they could keep all the medieval pageantry, antiquated traditions, and Katy Perry. As a Black British woman, by way of Barbados and Antigua, this particular moment in British history — one that is also marred by a country in financial and societal crisis — wasn’t ever going to be something I’d eagerly support. Meghan Markle wouldn’t even be there, so why would I be? 

But it was hard to look away; I couldn’t ignore what has now been lauded as the “most diverse” coronation in its 1000-year history (read: Black people and other minorities were in attendance) and what is being praised as a sign of the King’s intention to “modernize the monarchy.” At the coronation concert, Prince William reminded the crowd full of volunteers that “all faiths, all backgrounds, all communities” were to be supported in the King’s new role. According to the nation’s news cycle, this inspired plan to represent multicultural Britain at the coronation went off “without a hitch” and even included a Lionel Richie performance at Windsor Castle to boot. Sure, throughout the weekend’s broadcasted events there were plenty of in-your-face symbols of multiculturalism: an all-Black gospel choir at Westminster Abbey (check), revered Black broadcaster Trevor McDonald (check), more inoffensive Black British personalities (check), and someone’s uncle dressed head to toe in the Union Jack flag. By the time the Coronation concert aired, you couldn’t escape the Black and brown faces — there was even afrobeats. Yet, all it did was prove that, when it comes to achieving diversity, all the monarchy really has to offer is tokenism and empty platitudes. 

By now, many will have seen the UK's widely beloved Floella Benjamin, a Black British former children’s TV presenter, and chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee, walk into Westminster Abbey dressed in all the regalia as she carried the Sovereign Spectre. Ahead of her appointment, Benjamin said her role in the coronation was “symbolic” and a “clear message that diversity and inclusion is being embraced.” As someone who grew up watching Floella Benjamin on Jamboree, and admires her as if she is an unrelated auntie, I didn’t want to argue with an icon we all deeply respect. Yet, over the past few years, we’ve routinely seen diversity reduced to simple symbolism — achieved by a minority simply being in a room or space where we were once excluded (and even then would be accused by some media of being “woke”). Performative diversity no longer feels like meaningful inclusion, with proactive aims and objectives that actually will incite change and lead to racial equity. But, you know, at least there was a Black choir. 

Like many Black Brits with connections to commonwealth countries, our relationship with the royal family can be fraught, complex, and even contradictory depending on who you speak to. For me, it has meant witnessing Caribbean elders have respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the “mother country” even while our islands now proactively seek independence from the Commonwealth. Then there’s our Black British mums and aunties’ unwavering adoration for people’s princess Diana, their “best friend”, who they mourned like a close relative when she passed in 1997. As a result, many of us have inherited a deep dislike for King Charles III whose reported affair with Camilla made many of our aunties want to fight. As one person tweeted: “I take our Black aunties' legacy to hate Charles III and celebrate Diana forever.” Many of us are not convinced by the “modern monarchy” for this reason alone — my parents spent much of the weekend kissing their teeth.

The coronation — as seemingly intended — was an expensive distraction for the royal family who has spent the last few years under intense public scrutiny. Between Prince Harry set on airing all out his familial drama, Prince Andrew’s sexual assault case, royal race rows, and racist brooches, it’s hard to deny that the King’s coronation has been, if nothing else, the royal family’s best attempt at a PR spin in a long while. Throughout the elaborate celebrations, they rebranded King Charles and Camilla’s infamous “three of us in this marriage” adultery scandal into a love story of the ages with Camilla now triumphant as Queen (to my Princess Diana-adoring aunties’ dismay). The spotlight had been ceremoniously shifted away from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as the couple’s infamous accusations of the royal family’s institutional racism and bigotry, and onto King Charles’ charity work with the Prince’s Trust, his commitment to the environment, his love of the arts and his “great dance moves”. Prince Harry attended Westminster Abbey alone, dressed in a plain suit, without Meghan Markle by his side as she remained in LA for their son Archie’s birthday. As the crowned King and Queen took to the balcony to wave at their subjects, Prince Harry was already back at the airport after a reported 28 hours in London.

“We’ve gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly white balcony,” said Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte star Adjoa Andoh live on ITV in response to the uncomfortable optics. “I was very struck by that. I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking: ‘What are the nuances that they will inhabit as they grow?’” Andoh’s comments met backlash of course — OFCOM reportedly was “flooded” with complaints. Andoh, 60, has had to further explain her stance. “I was simply caught by the visual shift on the balcony – not a particularly original observation. There was no intention to upset anyone. I continue to celebrate the king who created the Prince’s Trust, loves the arts, cares for all faiths and for the future of our environment, as he has done for many decades. It’s an exciting moment in our history.”

It was easy to read between the lines of Andoh’s comments. How are disillusioned young people, who are dissatisfied with the country’s democracy and questioning the royal family’s relevance, supposed to embrace this so-called modern monarchy, when Markle, a bi-racial American woman, claimed racism and bigotry by the institution and British media drove her out of the country? The opportunity for the monarchy to become more inclusive started from within the palace walls and… well, look how that turned out.

Speaking to the Guardian, Sunder Katwala, the director of the think tank British Future, said: “The departure of Meghan and Harry was definitely a missed opportunity for a modern monarchy. Because that wedding was symbolizing tradition and diversity in a way this coronation tried to do and clearly that didn’t work in terms of keeping her in the royal family. So that exacerbates a challenge that they’ve got, which is to reach across generations, as much as to reach across ethnic groups.”

YouGov statistics show that ‘ethnic minority Britons are split on the King himself, revealing that overall around two in five (43%) have a positive view of King Charles, while 40% have a negative view of him’, what’s more, the same poll found that ‘Black Britons are significantly more likely to have a positive view of Meghan (63%) and Prince Harry (60%).’ Regardless, to blame the royals strained relationship with Harry and Meghan on why some Black Brits, and Black people in general, have a distrust of the monarchy is far too simplistic.

For many, Charles’ ascension to the throne has been a glaring reminder of the royal family’s enduring legacy of colonialism and the institution’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Queen’s death in September 2022 reignited calls from politicians and activists for former colonies in the Caribbean to remove the monarch as their head of state and for Britain to pay slavery reparations. Celebrated British broadcaster Charlene White, of Jamaican descent, turned up to work at the coronation dressed head to toe yellow, green, and black, the colors of the Jamaican flag. White hasn’t specifically mentioned the reasons behind her chosen outfit, many viewers discerned it was to acknowledge Jamaica’s plans to seek independence from the Commonwealth. And boy, did she make the royalists mad. 

Over the past year, both Prince William and King Charles have spoken out about their family’s ties to global atrocities, expressing “profound sorrow” for the abhorrent slave trade. Per The Guardian, “between 1690 and 1807, an estimated 6 million enslaved Africans were transported from West Africa to the Americas on British or Anglo-American ships. The slave trade was protected by the royal family and parliament.” Again, these platitudes feel empty as the British empire continues to benefit from the wealth and power gained as a result of those tragedies. Even the very notion of a modern monarchy feels inappropriate because the very idea of a monarchy is based on inequality and rooted in racism. No matter how much it is repackaged, or dressed up in gowns, the legacy of slavery and colonialism remains. It cannot be modernized.

The coronation not only reminded me of the horrors of the past but of the troubling realities of our present. It’s been hard to reckon with what many have dubbed as “British cognitive dissonance”. The coronation is estimated to have cost the taxpayer around £100 million in the midst of widespread strikes and a cost of living crisis that has many families struggling to heat their homes and relying on food banks — Black and Asian families are reportedly the most affected. As journalist Paula Akpan tweeted over the weekend, “British cognitive dissonance is a trip. Traipsing to the palace to celebrate a grotesque display of wealth while YOU YOURSELF have been regularly deciding between food and heating.” 

I try not to begrudge the British public for enjoying the pomp and circumstance and all of the UK's long-held traditions — after all, it is as British as a roast dinner — but I am inclined to stress, wholeheartedly, to not lose focus. Just as the King and Queen traveled through London in their golden carriage, police attempted to block the #NotMyKing protest in what has been described as a “direct attack on democracy” and a scary example of our civil liberties being under threat. The coronation’s diversity parade wasn’t ever going to sit right with me because the Britain I know today is extremely polarized. And, I’ve realized now, more than ever, we need to pay attention.