Island Locals celebrated the coronation of King Charles III with traditional afternoon tea.
Over 100 people sat down for high tea at St. Luke’s Community Hall in Saanich Saturday afternoon to watch a highlight reel of the historical coronation ceremony in England.
Claire White, the event organizer, said a coronation doesn’t come around very often so the church jumped on the opportunity to have some fun and host a tea celebration.
“A lot of Victorians are very British so I decided let’s do this for the community and celebrate this very special event,” White said.
Throughout the afternoon, afternoon tea and treats were served, England themed door prizes were handed out.
“I just got back from England not too long ago, so I was able to pick up quite a lot of memorabilia to make this a special event,” White said.
About an hour and a half of coronation highlights were also shown for those who missed the live broadcast at 3:00 a.m. PT.
This was the first coronation since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953, which was exciting for many of the participants that spoke to CHEK News.
“This is a historic event. Seventy years ago was the last one,” Patricia Clinton-Baker said.
Terri Lynde said she had watched both the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees for the Queen, adding she wasn’t going to miss this event.
“This is King Charles III’s moment, I’m thrilled to be here,” said Lynde.
The Empress Hotel also hosted a special “King Charles III’s Coronation Afternoon Tea Experience”.
Guests were served a special macaron decorated with the official emblem of the king’s coronation and received a commemorative menu to take home as a keepsake.
Victorians attend national and international celebrations
Coronation celebrations were held across the nation.
Bruce Hallsor, with the Monarchist League of Canada’s Victoria chapter, was invited to the coronation celebration in Ottawa.
This is the first celebration of its kind in Canada’s capital.
He explained the event was attended by Senators, Cabinet Ministers and other dignitaries, as well as charities who have royal patronage.
“It was a very joyous occasion,” Hallsor said. “There was a 21-gun salute by the Canadian military, we were inside a ceremonial hall and there were concerts and some pageantry.”
There were also a number of congratulatory speeches made during the ceremony.
“The Secretary of State gave a speech on the importance of the crown to Canada, our system of government and how much it benefits the country,” Hallsor added.
A Victoria couple was able to take in the celebrations in England.
Mandi-Lynn Whitman and her husband are currently living in London for a military posting.
The couple decided to take in the experience and travelled downtown the night before the coronation to take in some of the experience.
“It was amazing,” Whitman explained. “The crowds were excited, not sure what to expect because this is the first coronation all of us have experienced. The feeling of the excitement that was going on, you really get drawn in very quickly to the hype.”
She said there were decorations everywhere with King Charles III’s face on them and people everywhere were dressed in the union jack.
The Whitman’s ended up watching the coronation ceremony on TV to avoid some of the crowds, but said being in London for this event was an experience they will never forget.
Mackenzie Read
