Coronation Takeaways

Now that the dust has settled on a rather rainy Coronation Bank Hols, it’s time to take a closer look at the highs, lows, wins and fails of the weekend, and ask ourselves – what can we, the great unwashed, really learn from Chaz’s big day?

Heavy lies the crown – that fits

Perhaps one of the main focal points of getting crowned is of course wearing (yep you guessed it) the crown. The Imperial State Crown is the OG of the Crown Jewels. It symbolises the sovereignty of the British monarch, is adorned with over 2,000 diamonds and it’s been around (in a few different iterations) since the 15^th century. Pretty cool right?

Well, not only is it an iconic piece of British history fashioned into a sexy-looking hat, but it’s also darn heavy. Coming in at nearly 5lbs it’s no surprise both Charles and Camilla looked a little anxious before having each one precariously placed on their divinely anointed heads. That being said, if you’re going to sit on a throne with 20 million people watching as you finally take on the role you’ve been waiting your entire life for, you kinda want the old thang to fit, right?

Unfortunately for Queen Cam, however, there appeared to be a few teething problems when Archy C (that’s the Archbishop of Canterbury to you heathens) crowned our new Queen. And the culprit? Her pesky bangs. Touching her perfectly quaffed hair approximately FIVE times during what was no doubt the most momentous occasion of her life left many viewers aghast.

Why? Was the crown too small? Was her hairstyle too big? Was she nervous? Was she annoyed? SO MANY QUESTIONS. And then came the audible tut-tut from the corporates – because as everyone fronting an important event knows, the golden rule is NEVER FIDDLE WITH YOUR HAIR. You just smile and wave boys, smile and wave. If she’d been on stage at a commercial gig the C-Suite would have issued her with a week-long media training course and demoted her immediately. Let’s hope Charles is a little kinder in his retribution.

Make sure your guest list is on point

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a healthy and impressive guest list is everything. Why? Because unfortunately we the people are shallow – and who your friends are matters. And when you’re broadcasting your extra special party on TV if you think your subjects aren’t going to mercilessly critique the fashion choices and facial expressions of every single human being who walks through the Abbey doors. You’d be very very wrong.

From whispers as to whether a certain red-headed crusader would show up to speculation over who had or agreed to perform at the Coronation Concert, King Charles’s Coronation guest list has been a hot topic for months. With a roll call of some of Britain’s best-loved actors, authors, and philanthropists showing up, plus a very visible American Idol judge or two, we think Charlie did ok when it came to pulling in some crowdpleasers. However, the backlash from the naysayers was enough to make any ambitious events planner sit up and take note. Big names get big coverage, whether you like them or not.

Never forget your game face

With the cameras on you relentlessly for 4 days straight it’s difficult to always remain smiley and carefree. But when it’s your job to inspire joy, happiness, calm and contentment, it’s kind of important that you don’t let the façade drop – at all. No matter how much you want to.

Now we’re not going to get into the lip-reading shenanigans coming out of the golden carriage en route to the ceremony. We know it must be tiresome wearing gold capes and monotonously waving at delirious fans for 7 decades. But one can’t help but think that if your boss had a temper tantrum and called you boring in the middle of a party then you’d all feel a little bit annoyed. This is why having a fail-safe game face is essential in boosting morale.

Did everyone pull it off during the Cory-Nay? Not quite, no. Well, except for one visitor who was back on a plane to LAX by dinnertime…

Remember – what you wear matters

Ok be honest, how many of you knew who Penny Mordaunt was before ‘who’s the woman holding the sword?’ started trending on Twitter? Exactly.

In a spectacularly misjudged attempt to side-line her by appointing her leader of the House of Commons during Liz Truss’s brief tenure at number 10. Penny stole the show during the Coronation Ceremony. Simultaneously putting herself on the map as a future front-runner to occupy Downing Street in the process. Wearing a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with GOLD FEATHER embroidery, not only was Penny the first woman to perform the role of lord president of the council, but she was also unanimously voted best dressed at the Coronation. Proving that when you dress for the job you want, people take notice.

What can we say? That’s showbiz, kid.

Do your orientation

Last but not least, always (and we mean always) do your research before you attend an important event. Unless of course, you want to be running around dressed in a bright purple leather corset asking the sullen faces of the British aristocracy where your seat in Westminster Abbey is A le Katy Perry.

Thank you for the memes, Katy. We salute you.

All in all, you’ve gotta love a bank holiday weekend filled with pomp, ceremony, and a big dollop of old-fashioned British celebration. And, if we can learn a thing or two about how to show up and show out at our own events along the way, then all the more reason to raise a toast to the new King.

If you’re looking to put a little sparkle back into your next campaign, simply drop us a line – we’d love to help add the crowning glory to your next project.