King Charles coronation: Here's why Edinburgh people will be watching or avoiding the coronation

Millions of people are expected to watch the King’s coronation this weekend

This weekend will see hundreds of street parties take place across the UK to mark the coronation of King Charles III. On Saturday, millions of people around the world are expected to tune in to watch the historical royal event that last took place 70 years ago in 1953.

Although no official figure has been published, the King’s Coronation is expected to cost the taxpayer £100m. We asked Edinburgh residents if they plan to watch the Royal coronation this weekend and if they support the monarchy.

‘I think you can easily say it’s an out-dated tradition but I think it does well for Britain’

King Charles III on a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, to meet wellwishers ahead of the coronation on Saturday. Photo: Toby Melville/PA Wire

Edinburgh resident, Bruce, said he is undecided if he will watch the King’s Coronation at 11am on Saturday. He said: “I might do but it’s not something I’ve put in my diary. It’s an awful lot of money but the last coronation was 70 years ago so over the years it’s not that much money. I think you can easily say it’s an out-dated tradition but I think it does well for Britain.”

Bruce added: “And what do you have as an alternative? A political head of state which is just another politician and I would rather have somebody who is neutral who can inspire confidence in the country.”

‘I think there probably still is a space for it’

Emma, will be working this Saturday so will not be watching but said she ‘would watch it out of curiosity more than anything else’ if she was free. Emma said: “It’s like anything else there’s so much going on about it that I would probably watch it because of the interest in it. I think it is probably a bit dated for what we are as a society now but it’s also a part of history.”

She added: “I think the monarchy is an iconic symbol for this country and it brings a lot of attention to this country. Curiosity about the royals brings people to the UK so I think there probably still is a space for it."

‘A waste of time’

But another resident who didn’t give his name said watching the royal event is a ‘waste of time’ and another man added they have no interest in the ceremony and they were anti-royalist.

‘It is overly simplistic to say that it is just an expense for the taxpayer’

Matthew, originally from Ireland, plans to watch parts of the ceremony. He said: “It’s a pretty major event and not the sort of thing that comes around too often and it’s not likely to happen again for a number of years, it’s something on the world stage and I think it’s worth being aware of what happens.”

When asked about the cost of the ceremony, Matthew said: “It is overly simplistic to say that it is just an expense for the taxpayer. I would be interested to see what comparatively what the Royal Family brings in through income or otherwise. The Royal Family has a huge presence in Britain and what they say has a lot of weight.”

‘I think my age group are more inclined to be royalists than the younger generation’

Rosalind, who lives just outside Edinburgh said she looks forward to watching the ceremony. She said: “I was seven when the Queen was crowned and it felt like she was with me all my life. I’ve never gone out of my way to watch Royal events but I think it will be interesting to watch. I think my age group are more inclined to be royalists than the younger generation. And I think Charles has a lot of work ahead of him winning people over.