Never thought of myself as a royalist but must admit the proceedings of the last few days have really brought home to me how important it is that the history and traditions that have shaped the nation and the people in it, continue. Those people saying that it would be just the same if we got rid of them, as we would still have the palaces etc are missing the point that we would lose that link to our past. The interplay of a democratic government, the monarchy and the church, which has been so important in our development as a nation, and was so clear when they proclaimed the accession of Charles to the throne, would be lost and we would lose a lot of the ceremonial stuff as well. Its all very well saying that we would still have all that but it becomes like a Theme Park, when you are only doing it to entertain the tourists.
Proclaiming the new king in each of the countries that make up the United Kingdom was not actually necessary. They could have just sent us all an email or put it on gov.uk. but doing it the way it had been done for hundreds of years, was what made these ceremonies special and what continues to draw the crowds. It was interesting to notice how many overseas visitors were taking part in the ceremonies, coffin viewings etc, some even having come over just for it.
So I am actually feeling quite moved by what is happening, and in particular what it means to a large number of our citizens, and I am keen to see it continue.