"I come not to be served, but to serve," said King Charles during his controversial coronation.

With many people calling for the abolition of the biggest symbol of colonialism around the world, King Charles was crowned today despite the protests and controversies surrounding him and his position

King Charles III, 74, and his wife Camilla, 75, were crowned today as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms.

King Charles III

Queen Camilla

This ceremony was described by several international media outlets as a “once in a lifetime” event, but they might be getting ahead of themselves, seeing the advanced age of Charles and his wife, who happens to be older than him.

To get background knowledge on the British Monarchy and its relationship with Africa, follow this link below to the previous podcast of African History Blog on the topic.

Queen Elizabeth II, The British Empire and it's Relationship with Africa

The ceremony happened in the traditional Westminster Abbey, and was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the abbey, Charles was proclaimed as the "undoubted King" in the first stage of the ceremony. The congregation, comprising of about 2300 people, was then asked to show their homage and service, shouting "God Save the King". The congregation then paid allegiance to Charles III, led by his firstborn son, William. Estranged prince Harry was also present for the ceremony, but was not accompanied by his wife Meghan, undoubtedly due to the controversy she stirred after calling out members of the royal family for racism towards their son, Archie.

The symbols of this coronation carry the most expensive and visible symbols of the harm and treachery that the British Empire has done over the centuries, including the Sovereign Sceptre, which comprises of a huge diamond stolen from South Africa in 1910 known as The Star of Africa. South Africa has since called for the return of its property, which fell on the deaf ears of Elizabeth II and now Charles III, who brandished the sceptre proudly today. In addition, Charles was crowned with St Edward’s crown, which is decorated with several jewels acquired around the world during the brutal colonialism which Britain inflicted to all but 22 countries in the world.

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A solemn-looking Charles then declared "I come not to be served, but to serve," in his first prayer. A bold claim for someone who has been served his whole life, and will be sitting on $500 million of personal wealth inherited from his mother, and due to his status, does not have to pay the Inheritance Tax of 1986, which sometimes rises to 40%, and plagues most of the regular British families. It is important to note that the British Royal Family sits on a fortune estimated by Forbes to be $28 billion, amassed over the course of several centuries of exploitation, pillage and theft.

After the ceremony, which cost the British taxpayers over $125 million, the couple returned to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.

Some notable guests were present, including the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who’s low popularity is only beaten by his predecessor, Liz Truss. Also present was France’s president Emmanuel Macron, who’s country is currently the hub of violent protests against his regime, mainly due to his weak domestic policies and inconsistent foreign policies. Macron, in an attempt to regain popularity in Africa, had caused outrage by saying French is the language of pan-Africanism. An insult to Africans and the nationalists who died for this ideology. Consistent to his hypocrisy, Macron attended this coronation, which is the symbol of colonialism that his country and the United Kingdom perpetrated in Africa and across the world, and was very enthusiastic and impressed with the costly display.

Symbolic to the rain that fell during the ceremony in England, the Coronation was not received with much enthusiasm amongst some of the British population. This was heavily demonstrated by the giant, symmetrical erect penis mowed into the lawn of a venue where a major coronation celebration is set to occur, which is a direct representation of how most people see Charles.

The Coronation drew several protesters, including a group of protesters from Republic, the group campaigning for the abolition of the monarchy.

There is a massive security operation, with the Metropolitan Police putting 11,500 officers on duty in what it said would be its biggest ever single-day deployment, with the sole aim doing everything needed to repress protesters and every other threat that might make the coronation look bad.

Anti-monarchy groups have defended their right to protest, but the police, who arrested many of them, have warned that "tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low". A very repressive statement and act from a country who is at the forefront of pointing out the breaches of freedom of speech in other countries, notably against Russia in the recent years.

It is expected that King Charles III will follow the footsteps of his mother, as he has shown no sign to acknowledge the exactions of the British Monarchy across the world. British museums are still full of stolen artifacts around the world, and symbols of the Crown itself are constant reminders to the people they oppressed of their bloodstained history. All we can do is observe whether Charles will prove us right, or hopefully, wrong.