Yesterday’s Coronation of King Charles III – an embodiment of our head of state’s ‘progressive traditionalism’ – demonstrated the social and cultural value of the British monarchy in modern-day Britain.
King Charles III’s multicultural values and environmentalism do not necessarily endear him to a certain type of right-winger that believes diversity has ruined Britain and that the scientific consensus on climate change is based on conspiracies. But being an old-fashioned leftist, I believe that the King is exactly the type of monarch modern Britain needs.
The Coronation saw our first prime minister of Asian origin – Rishi Sunak – read from the Epistle to the Colossians. A practising Hindu, Sunak – who has been labelled by GB News host Calvin Robinson as a “heathen” – showed an incredible sense of duty and service in delivering the biblical reading. Indeed, it set the tone for the Coronation – which was a glorious celebration of Britain’s Christian heritage and its status as a proud multi-faith democracy.
It was especially pleasing to witness the uplifting contribution made by the gospel choir. After all, many of Britain’s black communities are playing their part in helping to keep Christianity alive in inner-city areas, as well as places such as Luton in Bedfordshire, Medway in Kent, Thurrock in Essex, and Swindon in Wiltshire.
A particularly heart-warming moment for me was watching Lord (Syed) Kamall – a professor of politics & international relations of Indo-Guyanese Muslim heritage – present the Armills.
The diversity of religions represented in the Coronation reflects King Charles III’s understanding of Britain being ‘a community of communities’ – and himself being ‘the defender of all faiths’ whilst being the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. For all its flaws, Britain remains one of the most successful examples of a multi-ethnic, religiously-diverse democracy in the world. And we cannot ignore the positive role played by the British monarchy on this front.
