On May 6, The United Kingdom crowned its new monarch, King Charles III, and welcomed Queen Consort Diana — sorry, I meant Camilla — as well. The coronation was one of the most organized and thoroughly planned events of the 21st century, with public figures such as Emmanuel Macron, Stella McCartney and Katy Perry flying in from all over the world to witness the ceremony.
The glamor of the event has caused it to be the subject of much reverence from the older generation, but in the eyes of the younger generation, it has instead become the subject of humorous memes and belittlement — evidenced by its reception on social media platforms like TikTok, where it went viral for the wrong reasons.
The event involved one of the most complex security operations in U.K. history — though security seemed to have missed one thing. A TikTok clip of a grim reaper at the coronation surfaced, garnering millions of views in a couple of hours. This ominous figure was later identified by Westminster Abbey as a member of the Abbey community who assists with religious services, but nonetheless caught the attention of many on the internet.
To Gen Z viewers, the service also feels like a hilariously outdated affair, remaining in line with the rest of the British monarchy’s odd traditions.
For example, Prince William, King Charles III’s son, had to pledge his loyalty to his father and then kiss him on the cheek. To me, it seems odd to have to look your father in the eye and say, “I, (insert your name here), Prince of Wales, pledge my loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb. So help me God,” and then proceed to kiss him on the cheek in front of billions of people. It seems slightly incestuous, but what can you expect from a family whose motto has historically been “keep it in the family”?
After the crowning of both the king and queen consort, Camilla walked down the aisle while a children’s choir sang what many thought sounded like “why not retire, Camilla” or “I want Diana, Camilla.” The choir was apparently singing “Vivat Regina Camilla,” though it is my personal belief that “I want Diana, Camilla” is the clear right answer.
Clearly, people in the younger generation — like myself — are starting to lose more respect for the monarchy and continue to make fun of what it stands for.
The next time a coronation comes around — it might be very soon considering the looming threat of the grim reaper — I urge others to turn on the TV, grab a bucket of popcorn and watch the spectacle that is the British coronation. I guarantee that although you won’t go in with the intent to laugh, you’ll be going down a TikTok rabbit hole of jokes as I did by the end.
