King Charles III, wearing St Edward’s Crown, during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. (Image: Getty Images)
It was the composer Gustav Mahler that said: “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
Never was this truer than in the coronation of King Charles III a year ago. There was nothing about the Coronation that was trite or out of date. Few looked on at the ancient spectacle and questioned its relevance. Many were proud.
We all bore witness to a service of duty and love. It was an antidote to a cynical world. It was a celebration of who we are and what unites us. Those who protect us. Those that serve us.
Those that carried the regalia were connected to defence, justice, faith and democracy.
The congregation was testament to all the greatness our nation has produced: its charities, its creativity, its communities, its industry, those who step up and take responsibility.
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Britain’s connectedness and esteem evident: crowned heads and world leaders were faces in the crowd.
The Commonwealth’s newly joined members, Gabon, Togo.
Rwanda and Mozambique had come for the future not the past.
On that day, all of us were playing our part, doing our bit.
I was privileged to be at the event in Westminster Abbey.
But in reality, if I hadn’t been there, I would’ve been at one of the hundreds of street parties.
I have loved talking to people this past year about what they were doing on that day.
Some brought family together. Others a street or an entire village.
The Coronation itself featured lots of traditions which enshrine the legend of monarchy, but these should not obscure its real meaning. To serve as monarch is a serious and onerous undertaking. It carries great responsibility. There are few roles in this world like it. You don’t get to choose it.
You can spend the majority of your life preparing for it.
It requires great patience and sensitivity to do it well.
How might we assess the past year? Visits made? Honours given? Events hosted? The fact we are still talking about “that day”?
Perhaps, but I would suggest something else. The role of those in public life is in part that of representation, even for the unelected. Too few give a thought to what this means.
It is to be a platform upon which the emotions of a nation can be projected and shared. When our nation faces great challenges, this is when we show how we handle fear – with bravery and determination.
We all feel fear. We each of us deal with it in different ways.
We also experience pride, love and self-sacrifice. This is the stuff of which our history is made.
Just as his late mother did before him, the King has managed to do that. At times of worry, through the backdrop of war and the legacy of the pandemic, his care towards us has been evident.
It has been in the efforts he and Queen Camilla have taken to thank and acknowledge people, to help those wronged heal and move on, to bring people together for the benefit of all.
There is no greater example of this than his determination on his cancer diagnosis not only to reassure, but to cheer us all up. Love burns brightest in darkness.
It is an approach our parents and grandparents would recognise and that’s why the monarchy remains enduringly popular.
It’s a point of continuity. It represents something beyond the day to day, that celebrates the everyday. It is above politics.
It represents something that binds all together – hope.
It has been my privilege to do my bit this past year, alongside so many people working to one end.
We rehearsed and worked hard to ensure on May 6 His Majesty could be in the moment of that deeply spiritual occasion.
And every day since the work has continued to enable him to be what the nation needs him to be.
I have confidence about the future because I have faith in our country, its people and the institutions that it relies upon.
Most of all, I have pride in Their Majesties. Our monarchy is both a family and an enterprise.
It is the mirror for a thousand points of light in this country.
It is founded on love, propelled by hope and it remains a source of strength for us all.
