VSn Saturday May 6, I watch the coronation of King Charles III on television – but only because my wife is French and she thinks the whole institution of the British monarchy, with its pomp and antics, is “picturesque”. I’ve been trying to figure it out for years, to no avail. However, I must admit that, not having been nurtured by monarchical ideology since birth, she has every right to savor the show for what it is: a show.
However, I have less sympathy for my fellow Britons, who collectively seem to embody a curious version of what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the popularity of the monarchy has continued to fall – even before it was on the wrong track. Some 45% of Britons would indeed like the abolition of the monarchy; and while a majority still supports the institution, recent polls tell us that not even half the population has any interest in the coronation.
However, on this D-Day, not only did the majority of Britons gather in front of their television screens to attend several hours of processions and various ceremonies, as well as the coronation in Westminster Abbey, but a number of others take part in the festivities held in the streets and elsewhere. And this, although the majority of those questioned believe that it is not up to the British taxpayer to pay for all this masquerade – which is the case -, but to the new king, with his personal fortune, estimated by the daily The Guardian at nearly £2 billion [2,2 milliards d’euros].
A captive population
For the past few weeks, the left has been making a concerted effort to question the coronation – and, therefore, the monarchy. The Guardian published a series of articles on the origins and exponential growth of the colossal Windsor fortune, pointing to its deep roots in colonialism, slavery and other dubious activities. In response, the monarch attempted to square the circle: the day of the coronation will take place with great fanfare, certainly, but all this pomp will be tempered by the fact that the coronation will be centered on the great contemporary progressive principles that are the ” diversity “ and the ” sustainable development “.
Later, when it will be necessary to declare whether or not this coronation is a success, who will win? I bet everything on the monarchists. According to the French situationist theorist Guy Debord (1931-1994), phenomena such as the great annual sporting events, with their ceremonial nature, are part of the continuity of events such as the harvest and spring festivals, on which the the eternal cycle in which the peasantry was once locked up. Seen in this light, the coronation is not intended for the population to contribute to “make history” – as its conservative zealots claim loud and clear – but on the contrary to keep it prisoner of a society of spectacle that undermines democracy – not to mention freedom, equality and fraternity.
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