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When England’s Queen Elizabeth II died in September, 2022, Ohio Northern University English Professor Lisa Robeson was fascinated by what happened next.
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“I was glued to the BBC for a week!” she admitted. And for good reason – Robeson, after all, researches and teaches Arthurian, Medieval and Renaissance literature and its intersection with politics. Far from obsolete, many of the political and religious formalities from those distant eras still inform today’s British monarchical practices in pomp, circumstance and purpose. From royal burial protocol to the king’s coronation attire colors, Queen Elizabeth’s death and the ascension of her son, King Charles III, to the throne, is providing the modern-day world with key historical reminders and lessons.
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This historic hereditary power transition is also intriguing to witness because it must acquiesce to cultural and technological shifts, Robeson says. Queen Elizabeth’s nearly 70-year reign spanned the advent of impactful visual mediums, digital advancements, medical breakthroughs and myriad other transformations. “Queen Elizabeth had the first televised coronation,” Robeson points out. In the following years an unprecedented array of people from other parts of the world have moved to England and contributed to its evolution.
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“The composition of British society today is a thousand times more diverse than in 1953, when she was crowned,” says Robeson.��
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Accession
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After the queen’s death, there was, Robeson points out, plenty of “window dressing.” For instance, the family held vigils at the coffin in various locations, and the funeral, planned by Queen Elizabeth herself, was elaborate. The ceremonial aspects help the country to collectively grieve, Robeson says. The official moment of silence was, throughout the United Kingdom, “respectful,” despite growing anti-monarchist sentiment, she notes. “All classes, all places had memories of the Queen,” many of them positive.
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With few exceptions during her reign, Queen Elizabeth, Robeson says, was popular. “She was very respected for her sense of duty, her sense of commitment, and also, she was there for the people. I still remember how, in 2020, she gave a speech on getting through the pandemic. It was beautiful and even people who weren’t that tuned in to the monarchy remember that,” she says.
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Almost immediately after Queen Elizabeth’s death, Charles became king from a political standpoint. When her death was announced, Charles was first mentioned as King Charles III. This transition, with its attendant traditions, is what captivated Robeson, whose research focuses on the connections between Medieval and Renaissance political history and the literature of the time. Within 24 hours King Charles had to appear before an Accession Council at St. James’ Palace, make a statement and sign an oath of loyalty, at which point he politically became the head of state. This ceremony, Robeson says, was not extremely different than it was centuries ago. One notable difference: for the first time, it was recorded for all to see, a decision she thinks was made due in part to the more secular nature of the populace. The more that monarchical traditions are seen, the more that royal continuity is emphasized.
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Coronation
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King Charles’ coronation ceremony is scheduled for May 6, 2023. The coronation is a religious ceremony that will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. “It’s sealing his kingship with the blessing of God,” Robeson says, and affirming his spiritual leadership duties; hundreds of years ago, this was an important ritual that dissuaded subjects from revolting against even the “worst” kings. She calls the coronation “a fabulous ceremony with “lots of singing, lots of robes, lots of fur, lots of red!”
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Robeson says the world can expect to also witness the following:
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·���������� A procession to Westminster Abbey will allow the public to see the ceremonial garb worn by those participating (such as the House of Lords, House of Commons and Order of the Garter); each piece will have special meaning.
·���������� The archbishop will anoint King Chares with holy oil, likely behind a screen, given that he must bare his chest. Robeson likens this to his being christened.
·���������� The king will have the orb and scepter. “The scepter is the rod of justice. The orb is the sign of his rule over the whole realm. Those were also on Elizabeth’s coffin until she was lowered into the tomb,” Robeson says.
·���������� King Charles will receive the crown, which last sat on Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as it was lowered into the vault. The monarch will place the crown on the king’s head, signifying the last physical confirmation that he is the sovereign. “For kings and queens, the crown of state is only worn at occasions where they are performing a constitutional duty,” says Robeson.
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Robeson wonders if these centuries-old ceremonial displays inherent with king and queen transitions will be upheld in the future, given the increasingly international nature of Great Britain.
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“I always think New York is an international city. Then I go to London and it’s like, ‘Holy Smokes!’ There are national costumes on the street from all over. Different languages are being spoken, there are different faces, different ethnicities, different cultures. It is intense,” she says.
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“I guess one of the questions for me is, whether these ceremonies that are part of their DNA stay in their DNA. Are these still going to resonate? That’ll be interesting. That’s Charles’ challenge,” Robeson maintains.