Coronation

The grass is cut. The strimming is done. I even bought a new lawn mower, although that was because the gear box seized on the old one and had nothing to do with the coronation (sorry your majesty). We’ve bought our “Ale to the King!” We’ve invited our friends. We (that’s the royal we - excuse the pun) have cleaned the house. (To be fair, I was cutting the grass.) The food we ordered has been collected. The final preparations are under way. And tomorrow we’ll watch the coronation of King Charles III. And here’s the question I will ask my friends when they arrive tomorrow: how many people do you know who are attending the coronation in person? And the only reason I'll ask is because they won’t know anyone who is actually attending. They won’t know anyone who actually had an invitation to be in Westminster Abbey to witness the crowing of King Charles III. But, and here’s the point, I do! I really do know someone who will be there! And that, strangely makes me feel important. I will not be there. I didn’t get an invite. I’ll be watching the whole things on the TV, just like my friends. But I know someone who will be there. I told her she had to wear a huge hat so that I could spot her on the TV and point out to everyone watching with me, that I know her. I don’t think she’ll do that. My friend is important enough to be invited to the service, the coronation. Knowing her is the closet I get. When I next see her, I’ll want a long description of what the whole thing was like. I’ll want to know how close she got the the King. That’s as close as I’ll get. I probably won’t say the pledge of allegiance when invited to do so by the Archbishop of Canterbury. But I will be a good citizen of the Kingdom. And while I’m sitting at home tomorrow, supping my Ale to the King, scouring the TV coverage for a sighting of my friend, getting as close as I can to the King and the coronation, I will be thinking of another Kingdom of which I am a citizen. A Kingdom that, unlike the one on the TV is an everlasting Kingdom. And one where, unlike the one I’ll be watching from a distance, I’m absolutely important enough to have direct access to the King. A Kingdom in which, in fact, I am invited to spend time with the King and be part of the business of the King. And I’ll be wondering as I watch the ceremony of the crowning of the King, who’s really got the best seats in the house: is it those who have responded to the invitation of King Charles III, or is it those who have responded to the invitation of the King of Kings? I hope tomorrow is a great day for all those involved. But there is a day…