No offense to the majority of Quebecers who shun the coronation of King Charles, many Montrealers got up at dawn on Saturday morning to follow the event live from the bars of the metropolis.
“It’s a bit magical,” says Marie Helmlinger, a twenty-something student who came to the Burgundy Lion pub in Little Burgundy, especially for the coronation. “When you’re a child, she says, you dream of princes and princesses, but those we see on television today are part of a real royal family. It really is a beautiful ceremony. »
They were more than a hundred, like Marie, to have reserved to participate in a service of High Tea, including tea and scones galore, starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Attendees remained glued to the screens in the bar, watching the procession intently.
Paul Desbaillets, the co-owner of the pub, explains that his establishment has become the epicenter of the British community in Montreal: “We have been presenting royal weddings and funerals for 15 years. We do all kinds of special events for the monarchy and they are always very popular”.
One of the reasons for the success of such events, according to Jaqueline Wall, another participant in the tea service, is the “unifying and festive” aspect of monarchical events. A British-born Quebecer, she explains that the event allows her to “reconnect with [ses] roots for a day”.
“King Charles is older than me,” she said. He waited all his life for his coronation, and I, all my life, knew that this event was going to happen one day. It’s a unique opportunity to come today, I wanted to take advantage of it”.
Mme Wall, sporting the Union Jack on her t-shirt, is all the happier to have turned out early on Saturday as she won prizes in a raffle, picking up a collection of teas and a mug to read ” god save the king (god bless the king). But despite her patriotic accessories, she insists she mostly showed up to celebrate, rather than to show her love of the monarchy.
Youssef Haddad, who came to the event with Marie, agrees. “I can very well understand that the francophones of Quebec, who live in a distinct society, or even the natives, do not feel challenged by the monarchy. It is above all a festive and unique event, a British symbol. But do we really consider ourselves as British subjects? This is a big question to which everyone finds their own answer”.