A Royal Mess: How King Charles' coronation has left behind a mountain of garbage

Thousands of people on Sunday flocked to the Mall to see King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The Royal Family made their traditional entrance onto the balcony of the palace and greeted the crowd.

However, after the show was over and the crowds dispersed, the scene began to resemble the aftermath of the Glastonbury Festival.

On the day of the coronation, royal fans left behind mountains of abandoned tents, camping chairs, trash, and muddy union jack bunting.

After the celebrations were completed, the cleaning crew got back to work so that the capital could return to normal over the long weekend.

Also read: How many people watched King Charles III's coronation?

Trail of abandoned tents, chairs and litter covers London

After crowds of royal supporters dressed in flags and rain gear celebrated Britain’s first coronation in seven decades, the streets surrounding Buckingham Palace were littered with a variety of trash such as water bottles, beer cans, soft drink containers, misplaced sun hats, and sleeping bags.

Around 2,000 guests attended the service and many thousands more well-wishers lined the route from the abbey to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the occasion.

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Some had camped for days in the volatile spring weather to secure a spot along the Mall that would guarantee a view of King Charles and Queen Camilla riding in the fairy-tale coach, wearing their crowns, according to the Associated Press.

Here’s an example of the rubbish. #KingCharles #Coronation pic.twitter.com/2Zb4nAOfFO

— Craig Agranoff (@Lapp) May 6, 2023

Chris Ship, the royal editor for ITV News, tweeted, “Now The Mall resembles abandoned campsite after a wet weekend at Glastonbury."

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Fury that followed

Brits vented their anger on social media after witnessing the ugly state that The Mall was left in.

A netizen tweeted, “I find this deeply distressing. Surely if you’re the kind of person who claims to love your country you wouldn’t do this? I despair at the mindset of people who claim to be patriotic & yet would do this. It reminds me of when I was in London after the Euros. Sickening.”

I find this deeply distressing. Surely if you’re the kind of person who claims to love your country - you wouldn’t do this? I despair at the mindset of people who claim to be patriotic & yet would do this. It reminds me of when I was in London after the Euros. Sickening.

— Tina Bee 💙 (@tinabf) May 7, 2023

Another one said, “Glastonbury has litter-pickers who clean up regularly. I did it once - it never looked this bad.”

Nope. Glastonbury has litter-pickers who clean up regularly. I did it once- it never looked this bad. This is nasty.

— Nadim Baba (@NadimJBaba) May 7, 2023

A third person questioned, “If you’re proud to be a royalist & soooo proud of your country, why are you not proud enough to clean up after yourselves?”

If you’re proud to be a royalist & soooo proud of your country, why are you not proud enough to clean up after yourselves? pic.twitter.com/RbtnOqxjjL

— Claire 💙 (@clairebubblepop) May 7, 2023

A third said, “This really disgusts me, as it always seems to be someone else’s job to clean up. Just show some respect and take you rubbish away. Just clean up!”

This really disgusts me, as it always seems to be someone else’s job to clean up. Just show some respect and take you rubbish away. Just clean up! #Coronation #CoronationDayRubbish #CleanUpYourOwnMess#ShowSomeRespect pic.twitter.com/mTNzIfCaAN

— Neecie 〓〓 (@Neecie_26) May 7, 2023

Janine Lewis, a councillor for Reading Borough Council, tweeted, “This sight is quite abhorrent. Showing this respect for the environment and then saying you were there to be part of history is like stabbing the king. He would be heart broken to see such a shameful decimation of the land. I could go on…. Heartbreaking.”

The clean-up drive

On Monday morning, garbage crews were seen clearing up this trash along the Mall and the streets.

Yesterday evening, volunteers cleaned up the streets after the royal show by walking around with grabbers and white trash bags, according to Dailymail.

A number of bin lorries were also dispatched to quickly transfer the full bin bags from the volunteers and pick them up from The Mall.

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The historic coronation and subsequent concert

In the largest ceremonial event to take place in Britain in seven decades, Charles was anointed and crowned yesterday. The ceremony was a show of pomp and grandeur that aimed to combine 1,000 years of history with a monarchy appropriate for the modern age.

In front of world leaders, foreign royals, dignitaries and a smattering of stars, the monarch declared, “I come not to be served but to serve,” and was presented as Britain’s “undoubted king.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury slowly put the 360-year-old St. Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head as he sat upon a 14th-century throne in Westminster Abbey in front of a congregation that included roughly 100 international leaders and a television audience of millions.

Camilla, Charles’ second wife, also received the title of queen during the solemn two-hour ceremony, some of which date back to the reign of King William the Conqueror in 1066.

For the unversed, King Charles automatically ascended to the throne when Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September, and he was officially proclaimed the United Kingdom’s monarch two days later in an ascension ceremony broadcast for the first time on television.

With inputs from Associated Press

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