BBC: ‘This is history in the making, a new era has begun’

“This is history in the making – and you’d have to pinch yourself to think you saw it up close, in Westminster Abbey,” write BBC.

“You can feel a sense of anticipation. It really happened here, on the altar full of candlelight, prayers, and glittering gold. The monastery is like a jewel box. The first coronation in 70 years was a lavish, seamless, and often surreal ceremony (…) But it was also like a very extravagant wedding, with friends, family, and famous faces crowding every corner of the church, playing on their phones, looking to see who else in there.”

“You cannot enter Westminster Abbey without feeling the weight of history on all sides. It seeps from every plaque and every statue. Even the clothes have a story. The king wore his grandfather’s robes and Catherine wore Diana’s earrings. Many guests may remember being here at the funeral of the late Queen, who walked out through the same doors eight months ago as today’s newly crowned couple. At such major events, snapshots for the history books, past, present, and future intertwine. (…) The carriage sped on, past a sea of ​​fluttering camera phones, and a new era had begun.

Sydney Morning Herald: ‘On the Windsor Weirdness Scale, it actually did pretty well’

“As a historical soap opera, the state events of the royal family tend to go badly,” wrote The Sydney Morning Herald. “The fact that Charles and Camilla made it to Westminster Abbey alive and with all four limbs intact is a miracle in itself. Which isn’t to say the day was without its requisite moments of heraldic absurdity, but it actually went pretty well by Windsor’s scale of weirdness.

“From a common sense standpoint it’s ridiculous, but from a television standpoint it’s interesting. It’s hard to explain how something so weak – two old men, a few shiny hats and countless trumpets – could be turned into something so interesting. Like trash can fires and car crashes, the royal family is oddly attractive.”

“Maybe because we are easily hypnotized. Maybe because we are simple. Or maybe it’s because, in a broken and increasingly miserable world, the secular alternatives are Trump, Kardashian, the Real Housewives, and the Toddlers & Tiara cast. From those options, you choose Windsors any day of the week.”

Guard: ‘The royal event isn’t really about the royal family at all’

A royal event like today’s coronation isn’t about the royal family at all, wrote Martha Gill Guard. “The striking thing about the royal family is this: there is nothing at stake. They have no real power and no one cares what they do.”

“I was struck by the public reaction to the royal ‘suggestion’ that many swore allegiance to the king when he died: it ranged from bewilderment to horror. Yes, they’ll be there from 5am, maybe in the rain, to catch a glimpse of their frost. No, the king shouldn’t be allowed to give them “suggestions.” Vanity! Brutality!”

“Royal events are not about royals at all. (…) What we love most about monarchies is examining our own reactions to them; the lines we form, our passion for pub gatherings, our penchant for ceremonial food, our odd cynicism about the event, even if we wait six hours, in the rain.

The New York Timess: ‘For King Charles, Coronation Day was a step over the tightrope’

King Charles wanted “a more accessible, future-oriented and inclusive monarchy. But it is not an easy message to convey through golden relics and ancient rituals.” so write The New York Times.

“As Buckingham Palace cleared its regal relics – shining swords and scepters, orbs of jewels and golden chariots – Charles, aged 74, walked the line between tradition and modernity. Those who knew him said he knew he had to adapt the institution to a society that was not necessarily against the idea of ​​a king but found the trappings of empire increasingly irrelevant.

Telegraph: ‘The service is historically complex, without being tiring’

In the an opinion Telegraph Charles Moore compared today’s coronation service to Queen Elizabeth’s in 1953. “There have been some changes, but it will be strictly Christian in a tradition that has crowned kings and queens for centuries.”

“Today’s service reveals important things. It is very religious without being sectarian. It’s very historic without being tiring. It is graceful without being overbearing. And while properly addressing issues of universal concern, it is something that can only be done here in England.”

”May the King live forever!’ the crowd will scream. Of course they knew he wouldn’t, but they expressed their belief in something that has withstood the toughest test, the test of time.”