LONDON -- Thousands of picnics and street parties took place in London on Sunday as Britons celebrated the crowning of amid burgeoning questions about the place of the monarchy in a modern era.
Union Jack bunting flapped in the wind over city parks while cheery locals wore gold paper crowns or clothing that matched the flag, in red, white and blue.
It was a more unassuming celebration, one day after a coronation that saw jewel-encrusted sceptres, a golden orb, and a heavy solid gold crown presented to the 40th reining monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey
As part of the weekend festivities marking the bank holiday weekend, The Coronation Big Lunch was intended to bring 鈥渘eighbours and communities together to share friendship, food and fun.鈥� The annual event, run by Eden Project Communities since 2009, has had Queen Camilla as its patron since 2013.
One of the most high-profile Big Lunches today was steps away from the scene of the coronation, Westminster Abbey.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted his own Big Lunch for guests including community heroes, Ukrainians forced to flee their homes, and their U.K. sponsors, as well as dignitaries such as U.S. first lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter, Finnegan Biden.
鈥楶UT UP THE BUNTING, POUR THE TEA, CUT THE CAKE鈥�
鈥淐ome rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the U.K.,鈥� Sunak said in a statement before the lunch, hosted at Downing Street, which was adorned with bunting featuring the coronation emblem and the Union Jack flag.
The menu featured food from across the U.K. including: Loch Duart salmon from Sutherland in Scotland; soda farl from Northern Ireland; beef from Gloucestershire in southwest England and ice cream from Chilly Cow based in Ruthin, Wales.
Other items included sausage rolls and coronation chicken 鈥� which was invented for Queen Elizabeth II鈥檚 coronation. There was also coronation quiche of beans, spinach, and cheddar suited to the King鈥檚 taste, which was .
鈥淚 am proud to welcome Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and some incredible community heroes to Downing Street for our very own Coronation lunch to celebrate this historic moment,鈥� Sunak said.
鈥淚n England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland 鈥� and across our Overseas Territories and the wider Commonwealth 鈥� people are marking this momentous occasion in the spirit of unity and hope for the future.鈥�
One of the guests, Errol McKellar, spoke to 麻豆影视 as he and his wife Sharon left the party, which he described as 鈥渁bsolutely wonderful.鈥�
McKellar, a prostate cancer survivor, has for his work with his namesake charity, The Errol McKellar Foundation, which encourages more 鈥渁t risk鈥� Black men to be tested for prostate cancer.
鈥淚t was just good to spend the time with the prime minister, just to thank him for the great work that he鈥檚 doing, and mingle with people he鈥檚 been helping,鈥� McKellar said.
鈥淢ore importantly it was a nice get-together full of people from the public that do great, great things for the country.鈥�
Khalid Raza, chair of Wheels to Heal, was another one of the invited guests, as a .
His charity recycles unwanted mobility and disability aids destined for the landfill, sending them to developing countries.
鈥淭he prime minister and family came out, as well as some other politicians,鈥� Raza said, speaking to 麻豆影视 outside Downing Street, adding that many of the invited guests, like himself, were winners of the award.
鈥楾HERE IS ROOM FOR CHANGE鈥�
Asked about the place of the monarchy in Britain, Raza said, 鈥淭here is room for change.
鈥淚 think change is happening, obviously there is always room for more change, but it seems to be going in the right direction.鈥�
Meanwhile, 麻豆影视鈥� Joy Malbon was at a large party at Regent鈥檚 Park with some 140 tables, making it potentially one of the larger parties in London.
Partygoers wore gold crowns and held British flags, coming together over tables covered with traditional favourites such as Victoria sponge with fresh berries and cream, pork pies, meringues, sausage rolls, Pimm鈥檚, and Marks & Spencer sandwiches.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to be a good King, so far, so good,鈥� one of the partygoers, Danielle Cantillow, told Malbon.
鈥淚 just hope he continues the good work that his mom did, she gave up her whole life and I think she did a great job and I think he鈥檒l follow in her footsteps, especially with Camilla at his side. I think he鈥檒l do great.鈥�
Not everyone at the street party was a supporter, though. Anti-monarchist Martin Fisher was at the street party along with his mother and told Malbon he doesn鈥檛 鈥渃onsider the Royal Family to be relevant anymore, we have a parliamentary system and it doesn鈥檛 require a monarch,鈥� he said.
Fisher said he was at a protest organized by anti-monarchist group Republic on Saturday. He added that then-Prince Charles鈥� support of environmentalism will 鈥渘ow be silenced because he is a King and he鈥檚 not allowed to speak.鈥�
He said, 鈥淲e ought to have a functioning democracy and I think the monarchy preserves a system that is archaic.鈥�
The Associated Press reported that 19 million people watched the coronation on television in the U.K., according to ratings released by research organization Barb, which is about 40 per cent less than the viewers who watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
On Sunday, by the celebration and 鈥減rofoundly grateful both to all those who helped to make it such a glorious occasion 鈥� and to the very many who turned out to show their support.鈥�
While the King and Queen are not going to be participating in any of the street parties, other members of the Royal Family are expected to make appearances in their place on Sunday, with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attending a Big Lunch at Cranleigh in Surrey; Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence heading to a community street party in Swindon, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also due to join a lunch.
The King鈥檚 eldest son, Prince William, and his wife Kate, before the concert.
An , not only in the U.K., but also in Canada, the U.S., Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Hungary, and Greece.
Then on Sunday evening, a special concert hosted by Hugo Bonneville will be held in Windsor with the castle as its backdrop, featuring performers such as Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, and Take That.
The concert will be attended by the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family, with an audience of 20,000, including 10,000 winners of a public ballot.
The concert is expected to last somewhere between two and three hours, rain or shine, and to be seen in more than 100 countries around the world. Locations across the U.K. will be lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations, according to the coronation website.
Some members of the Royal Family will continue to attend community events on Monday, which has been declared a bank holiday in the U.K.
On Monday, members of the public are encouraged to take part in The Big Help Out, in tribute to the King鈥檚 public service, and get involved by volunteering in local community projects, with more than 30,000 organizations participating.
The aim of the event is to bring communities together and 鈥渃reate a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.鈥�
According to the latest ICM polling quoted by the Buckingham Palace spokesperson, 6.5 million people have said they are planning to take part in .
London鈥檚 Metropolitan Police said their , previously describing Operation Golden Orb as 鈥渙ne of the most important security operations鈥� the country had planned.
On coronation day, dozens of arrests were made, which prompted some MPs and protesters to accuse authorities of stifling free speech.
Among the arrests was Graham Smith, leader of the anti-monarchist group Republic, who was detained Saturday morning before the planned Trafalgar Square demonstration
Smith said he was arrested as he prepared for a peaceful protest and spent 16 hours in police custody.
鈥淭hese arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淓ach and every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame.鈥�
The police acknowledged the criticism while defending their actions.
as being 鈥減roportionate鈥� given that it was a 鈥渙nce in a generation鈥� event they were policing.
Today is the and our �� policing operation continues.
鈥� Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk)
We will again be out across London, keeping you safe, responding to calls and visiting community street parties.
With a report from 麻豆影视鈥� Joy Malbon and The Associated Press
