London Sketches – The Coronation, kerbside.

Yes! I was there, and yes! I did camp out overnight on the Mall. Much cheer and spirit was shared by all, including the alcoholic kind. Generosity in sharing round chairs, blankets, Twiglets and drinks for those that had less was our mutual bond. In our little patch there were folks from all over England and Wales as well as the rest of the world: Texas, Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe – amid many Londoners. True, not much sleep was had but good feeling kept us buoyed up – although a VERY grateful cheer went up when more Portaloos arrived!
General sentiment towards the upcoming event was positive, although Harry and Andrew were boo-ed, “they’ve let the side down!”
“It would be so hard to be homeless, this is some insight,” was also a much-murmured comment.
Coronation morning dawned grey and with it the rain! Announcements went up to put away tents and chairs, and to refrain from waving flags or throwing anything over the barriers, ”…and the horses thank you, too!”
What a pity! That from around 8 am onwards, latecomers started to push forward, with no regard for anyone, least of all those who had done the hard yards by camping out several nights on the front line. Children were passed over, so they could see – but there were some shockingly nasty adults quite prepared to push anyone out of the way. A man on crutches, claiming to have cancer worked his way to the front and I watched him inveigle everyone as he went. By the time he got to me, I was “well sus”, but gave up my spot and my seat, only to watch him drink champagne and then walk away without crutches later. (These people really ruined the atmosphere of goodwill.)
A grateful nod specifically, to the many police officers whose job it was to turn inward toward the crowd for security purposes, and thus miss the procession for themselves. They, like us, were soaked through.
The procession itself was fantastically executed, and surely a wonder to behold! Seeing the flawless uniforms, the glint of polished metal, the musical hum – all  to the beat of the drum could only be experienced road-side.
Great cheers of “God Save The King!” went up as their Majesties arrived in the golden State carriage, followed by The Prince of Wales and his family – with a very warm wave of feeling towards Princess Anne stoically riding behind as part of the King’s bodyguard. It was worth the wait, the awful crush and the wretched  rain to see the spectacle with one’s own eyes. There was certainly a tear or two in mine!
For all the privileged within Westminster Abbey arriving dry and in their finery, it was an honour to be sharing the experience with all of “us” streetside.