Will you be watching the Coronation?
Or are you among those who think it’s time for an Australian Republic?
If you haven’t received your invitation yet, it’s a fair bet that you won’t be going to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.
But have you been following news about the event? Will you be glued to your TV set or streaming device on the night of Saturday 6 May? Are you looking forward to a new era under our new Head of State?
Perhaps you think that the death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension of King Charles has presented an opportunity for Australia to consider cutting formal ties with the British monarchy and becoming a Republic.
If you have some thoughts on that, please take part in the poll at the end of this article.
Estimates of how many people will watch the ceremony on screen vary from 300 million to a billion or more.
But only 2,000 people, give or take, will be at the ceremony itself in Westminster Abbey, which has been the scene of coronations since 1066.
The official list of attendees includes the great and the good, many world leaders and most members of the extended royal family.
Those attending include Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, Spain’s King Felippe, Prince Albert of Monaco, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and, of course, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley.
Australia’s Princess Mary is expected to attend alongside her husband, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
The confirmed guest list also includes some avowed republicans, such as Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, who had earlier said he would host an Independence rally in Glasgow on the day.
No-shows will include US President Joe Biden, who will be represented by his wife, Jill; Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex; and Sarah, the Duchess of York. Meghan is staying at home in America to celebrate her son, Archie’s, fourth birthday, but Sarah is expected to join the royal family at some stage on the day.
Hundreds of millions – perhaps more than a billion – people around the world will watch broadcasts of the coronation and related events, including a concert headlined by the unlikely duo of Katy Perry and Lionel Ritchie.
In Australia, some of those viewers will be avowed monarchists, others just curious about the pomp and ceremony.
Even in the UK, many people are cynical about the event. While the BBC coverage will be extended and mostly reverent, Channel 4 has scheduled a day of “alternative viewing” including a documentary titled Andrew – The Problem Prince, which addresses scandals surrounding the King’s brother, and Farewell to the Monarchy, in which Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle asks whether the royal family has a place in today’s world.
In Australia, the ABC has confirmed it will be live from London from 5pm on 6 May, with the coronation itself starting at 8pm. The commercial stations are also expected to have wall-to-wall coverage on the night and in the lead-up to the event.
The coronation is sure to reignite debate about Australia’s status, with calls from some quarters for a new referendum on becoming a republic.
In the 1999 referendum on the subject, which was not successful, the model presented to the public was for the monarch to be replaced with an Australian head of state appointed by parliament. At the time, many republicans were calling for a head of state elected directly by the people.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared himself a republican but has said he will not call a referendum in his first term in office out of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth.
