Despite the inclement weather that invaded the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, a few Canadians stood proudly in the rain wearing their red and white flags.
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“My grandmother is English and had followed the coronation [de la reine] on black and white television, so I thought I had to come see it in person,” said Torontonian Jeremy Keiton, 20.
With a friend from Vancouver, who is studying with him in Belfast, England, the young man traveled more than 600 km to come and attend the celebrations in person, for his English grandmother.
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“She has always followed the monarchy and kept many of her English traditions. For me, to be there means a lot to her,” he continued.
A dream come true
In front of Buckingham Palace, Montrealer Noelle Attala, who now lives in Ottawa, realized her dream of attending a royal event.
“When the queen died I thought there would be a coronation,” said the 34-year-old, who jumped at the chance to travel to England for the very first time.
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“I managed to see the royal carriage. On the driveway, the king’s face was hidden, but on the way back, I had a perfect view of both [souverains], and also on Kate and her children!” she exclaimed, smiling and sparkling eyes.
The same goes for Leonard Lyn, who traveled all the way from Ontario with his family to attend the coronation in person. He arrived in the UK on Friday.
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“We wanted to attend the global celebrations of the coronation of the Canadian king, who sits on the maple throne,” he said with a smile.
“Being right in the heart of High Park during the coronation is wonderful. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said brother-in-law Steve, of Fergus, Ontario, flag clearly visible on his back.
A night out to be in the front row
Other motivated Canadians even camped in the rain, to carve out a place of choice for the passage of the royal carriage during the coronation.
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“It was wonderful. The square was full, people were in a good mood. Young children, grandparents. People were singing. It was really nice,” said Catherine Roberts, alongside her daughter Madeleine Lavrence, who will be 21 on Sunday.
The two women from Newfoundland, who now live near Hamilton, Ont., took part in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last June.
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“We were there, and it ended up being his last public appearance. And then we came for his funeral, and we stood in line for 11 hours to pay his respects,” added the #1 Royal Family fan.