Royal Rundown: King Charles III Coronation👑
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The Ten News Season 3: Episode 56
In today's episode: 🤴 The royal rundown of King Charles III Coronation on Saturday, May 6th 👑 A look at what has changed across the pond since the ruling of King Charles III 📞 Mother's Day PSA: send us your 'breaking news' on why your mom is the best! 🤔 Trivia with Tessa: do you know who invented thrones?
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Links
https://www.royal.uk/coronation
https://www.royal.uk/queen-elizabeth
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65342840
https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/Trails/what-is-a-queen-consort
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coronation
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-death-king-charles-rcna46976
https://www.britroyals.com/royalfamily.asp
https://www.britannica.com/topic/throne
https://www.britannica.com/place/Knossos
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65342840
TRANSCRIPT:
Ryan Willard 00:03
This just in: His Majesty King Charles has been elected King of Britain. Now he dawns the crown, holds the long gold stick, and carries that little round thingy. King Charles is wearing a big fur cape. And the people of Britain are taking to the streets to eat biscuits and drink tea in honor of their new King.
Pamela Kirkland 00:24
Hey, Ry, what are you doing?
Ryan Willard 00:26
Hey, Pamela, I was just practicing my coronation announcement.
Pamela Kirkland 00:30
That's right. There's a coronation this week. We better get our royal ducks in a row.
Ryan Willard 00:36
Actually, I think they call them swans, Pamela. But let's get into it. For king and country!
Pamela Kirkland 00:43
I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 00:44
And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Wednesday, May 3rd.
Pamela Kirkland 00:47
This is the Ten News.
Sound Bit 00:51
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Pamela Kirkland 00:59
On Saturday, May 6th, 2023, Britain will formally recognize Charles and his wife, Camilla as King Charles III and Queen Consort. In the US, you can tune in to watch the coordination on CNN, NBC, Fox, or BBC America or stream it on YouTube. There's going to be a lot of pomp. But, what about the circumstances?
Ryan Willard 01:24
So I forget. When was King Charles III elected?
Pamela Kirkland 01:28
Ah, yes, he wasn't. The UK is one country that's made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The royalty are not elected, they inherit their roles.
Ryan Willard 01:42
Ah, so when Queen Elizabeth II died last year...
Pamela Kirkland 01:45
Prince Charles automatically became King.
Ryan Willard 01:49
So, if it was automatic, why do we need a coronation?
Pamela Kirkland 01:52
Good question, mostly tradition. Hundreds of years ago, kings and queens had to really show off their power connections and wealth to remind people why they were rulers. coronations are a great way to do that. Of course, the royal family plays a much different role in the UK. Now, they don't make laws or set taxes or anything like that. The King is, however, the head of the Commonwealth and international organization that unites 54 former British colonies and territories. It doesn't mean the king has power in those nations. It's more symbolic. The Commonwealth is all about cooperation between nations. So the House of Windsor, King Charles, and his family see themselves as stewards of tradition and pageantry. The coronation ceremony we'll see this weekend hasn't changed much in 1000 years. This connection to the past is one of the reasons the Royal Family Honors tradition brings tourism to the country.
Ryan Willard 03:05
Got it. Now, Queen Elizabeth ruled for a really long time. So this is the first coronation since...
Pamela Kirkland 03:13
June 2, 1953.
Sound Bit 03:17
From the roaring of the multitude into the quiet solemnity of the beat Abby steps Her Majesty.
Pamela Kirkland 03:22
It's been 70 years since there's been a coronation in Britain.
Ryan Willard 03:27
Wow. So for most people alive today, this will be the first coronation they see. Yep. Okay, I have another question. Go for it. What is the stick-round thing the king and queens always hold?
Pamela Kirkland 03:37
Ah, yes, the scepter and orb. These actually date back to Charles III in 1661. So King Charles III will hold two different sectors that the long gold staff. Each represents a different aspect of being king, justice, and mercy. The Orb hold is called the sovereign’s orb, which basically represents the world. Queen Camilla will also hold a pair of scepters and an orb, the ones made especially for Queen Consorts.
Ryan Willard 04:15
And what is a consort?
Pamela Kirkland 04:16
Oh, it's just a little title. That means they're not the ruler. So, Camilla is Queen Consort, because she's married to the king. She's not a member of the royal family. So she is a queen, but she can't rule on her own.
Ryan Willard 04:31
Okay, last question. Will there be crowns?
Pamela Kirkland 04:34
Yes, of course. The word coronation means to put a crown on someone's head. So the crowns will be a big part of the ceremony. When he's crowned at noon, London time on Saturday in Westminster Abbey, King Charles will wear a crown from 1661 that only six other rulers have worn. It's St. Edward's crown, and it's only used for coronations Queen Camilla will wear Queen Mary's crown which was made in 1911 and has over 2,000 diamonds on it. After he's crowned King, Charles will switch to a different crown, the Imperial State Crown, which is used for official occasions and features nearly 3,000 diamonds. Then he and the Queen Consort will hop into the gold State coach and ride back to Buckingham Palace.
Ryan Willard 05:33
That has a lot of gold and gems.
Pamela Kirkland 05:35
What can I say? It's good to be the king.
Tessa Flannery 05:43
God save our gracious, quee-king, God save our noble Queen, I mean, King. God save the quee-in-king.
Ryan Willard 05:59
Hey, Tessa, what are you doing?
Tessa Flannery 06:01
I'm practicing the new British national anthem.
Ryan Willard 06:03
Are you talking in an accent?
Tessa Flannery 06:05
No.
Ryan Willard 06:06
Wait, why is there a new national anthem?
Tessa Flannery 06:08
Well, it changed when Prince Charles became King last fall. Lots of things changed.
Ryan Willard 06:13
Pamela, Tessa says King Charles is changing songs.
Pamela Kirkland 06:17
What?
Ryan Willard 06:18
Tessa, please tell us what you know. Still in that accent.
Tessa Flannery 06:21
Let's start with the song. The National Anthem was written in the 1700s and the original words were 'God save the King.' But when Queen Elizabeth became Queen in 1953, the lyrics changed to God Save the Queen, which is what the people of Britain have been singing for 70 years now.
Pamela Kirkland 06:46
That's got to be a little weird for everyone. Is that the only thing that changed?
Tessa Flannery 06:52
Nope. The Queen's image and insignia which is a symbol that represents her, are on loads of things in the UK. mailboxes, stamps, coins, paper money, and even many foods and products.
Pamela Kirkland 07:06
So what happens to all of that now that Charles is king?
Tessa Flannery 07:09
Slowly but surely, King Charles's face will replace Queen Elizabeth's on money and postage. His picture will face the opposite way a tradition that started in the 1600s
Pamela Kirkland 07:19
Isn't that going to confuse people?
Tessa Flannery 07:22
Yes, indeed. And it affected people outside the UK, too. Canada is a Commonwealth nation so Canadian citizens swear allegiance to British royalty. And on the day Queen Elizabeth died, a Canadian citizenship ceremony had to be delayed while officials rewrote the oath. Those Canadian citizens were the first members of the public to swear allegiance to the king.
Ryan Willard 07:43
So, will the UK replace everything with a queen on it? Will they knock down all the old mailboxes?
Tessa Flannery 07:49
No, it will be a slow process for most things and they will keep all the current working mailboxes with Queen Elizabeth symbols on them. Only new mailboxes will have King Charles as insignia you can actually still find mailboxes or postboxes in the UK that date back to Queen Victoria.
Pamela Kirkland 08:09
Anything else we should know?
Tessa Flannery 08:11
Fun fact King Charles III is related to King George, the king from Hamilton.
Pamela Kirkland 08:16
The king we fought the American Revolution against? Cool!
Ryan Willard 08:28
Hey, Ten'ers, it's that time again, Mother's Day is around the corner and we want to thank moms and grandmas in the best way we know how... with news. We want you to send us your 'breaking news' on why your mom is the best. Here's mine. Right here with breaking news, Merce Willard is the best because she always lets me have the last bite of ube ice cream. Leave us a voice note at 877-T-E-N-N-E-W-S. Tell us the 'breaking news' of why your mom is the best and we might just put your audio in our Mother's Day Special.
Tessa Flannery 09:07
Welcome to the trivia room.
Pamela Kirkland 09:10
Wow. Tessa. You decorated the trivia room and the trivia throne. Is this for the coronation?
Tessa Flannery 09:18
It is. I love a bit of pomp and circumstance. Pamela, why don't you hop on the trivia throne for today's royal trivia question? You ready?
Pamela Kirkland 09:26
Let's do it.
Sound Bit 09:31
What is going on here?
Tessa Flannery 09:40
A throne is a seat of power and is even considered a little bit magical. It's definitely more than just a chair. But did you ever wonder who invented thrones? Is it a) the Greeks, b) the Egyptians, or c) the Chinese? Ten'ers, did you guess it? Pamela, what's your answer?
Pamela Kirkland 10:01
I'm gonna go with b) the Egyptians. They seem to like thrones.
Tessa Flannery 10:06
The answer is A! The Greeks built the first thrones, and there's even a surviving Greek throne. You can see today that was built way back in 1800 BC. No way. This particular throne was carved out of gypsum. That's a kind of white stone in Knossos. Knossos is on the Isle of Crete and is considered one of the oldest cities on Earth, and the palace there had indoor plumbing. Knossos has fascinated archaeologists for hundreds of years.
Pamela Kirkland 10:44
What about the throne King Charles will sit on?
Tessa Flannery 10:47
Oh, yes, the coronation chair. It's a seven-foot-tall wooden chair that's over 700 years old. It's partly decorated with gold leaf and there's carved graffiti on it from hundreds of years ago. At the foot of the chair or two gold lions and under the chair will be the Stone of Destiny. I got a chance to see the Stone of Destiny in its usual home in Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh.
Pamela Kirkland 11:10
Cool. I definitely looking forward to watching this ancient ceremony unfold. If I can get up that early.
Tessa Flannery 11:12
Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Visit thetennews.com/contact to get in touch and we might have you on the show!
Ryan Willard 11:36
Hey, Pamela, I think we should give special Ten News snaps to one of our listeners.
Pamela Kirkland 11:39
But before we do, here's a quick note for the grown-ups.
Ryan Willard 11:43
Time for Ten News Snaps.
Pamela Kirkland 11:49
Ten'er, Number3Gamer wrote this review of The Ten News. 'This is probably the best thing in the whole universe.' Pamela, you are the best host, and you too, Ryan. Keep up the awesome work. Thumbs up, smiley face.
Ryan Willard 12:05
Thanks, Number3Gamer, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Ten Things You Need to Know drops every Tuesday on our in-depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you can join the Ten'ers Club on our website or on Apple podcasts.
Pamela Kirkland 12:18
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 12:23
The Ten News creative team is putting on their crowns and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, and Tessa Flannery.
Pamela Kirkland 12:29
Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle. And our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Ryan Willard 12:37
I'm Ryan Willard.
Pamela Kirkland 12:38
And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to The Ten News.
