This may be a topic for another thread, but if that did happen, would you rename the country, and if so, what?
“United Republic of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” would be the obvious choice.
What, the People’s Democratic Socialist Republic Of Greater London not spiffy enough for you commie furriners?
So then instead of referring to the UK, we would refer to the UR? Sounds like some kine of leet-speak or twitter!
But the government makes money from selling those seats. They don’t make money from TV coverage (unless you want to sell the exclusive broadcast rights like they do for the Olympics, pro sports, etc.). The BBC doesn’t really make money either, since they don’t sell ads. They might make a bit more by re-selling their coverage to overseas networks.
So financially, they are better off delaying the coronation to build more sellable seating.
Companies like Wedgwood will release commemorative coronation plates and such things. There might be increased tourism before and after the event. So the economic impact of a coronation might be substantial.
One of the TV companies (probably the BBC, which does these things in more style) will get the rights; they will probably have to share film with the other major British channels at cost but the foreign rights will rake in big money.
Last time the Rank Organisation filmed it, in colour, as well as the B&W TV coverage; nowadays the colour film is more often used by the TV channels as stock footage. As most of the coronation ritual was well-known in advance it could be storyboarded well in advance and even much of the commentary was recorded in advance: they got it edited and in the theaters in two weeks, I believe.
But it wasn’t the construction of the standing outside that took so long. That was a relatively simple operation. What took the time was the seating inside the Abbey and those weren’t for sale.
Edward III’s mother deposed Edward II. And Ed III went on to rule for 50 years so it worked out pretty well for him.
Edward was, um, induced to abdicate. There were immediate plots and suspicions of plots to restore him to the throne, and this continued until he conveniently - suspiciously conveniently - died some eight months later.
There is a more recent precedent for deposition, of course - James II and VII. But even at the time that was recognised as a revolution (the “Glorious Revolution”).
Hmm, really? Well, either way, I believe the old custom was pretty much always a year of morning.
James II wasn’t killed though, just deposed and exiled. Edward V was probably a better example – deposed and then murdered. (Most likely by his uncle, who was then killed in battle by the next king, Henry VII)
Prolly just “GB”.
And what about poor little NI?
“How to Become the British Monarch”
This one is hilarious.
her head was bigger than expected.
We’ve sorted out the calendar since then.
Of course, one of the spicier stories is exactly how Edward II died. Rumour has it he was punished for his homosexual proclivities (by his wife, no less) BY having either a red-hot poker shoved up his ass or being hung upside down and having molten lead poured in. In either case, they supposedly used a metal funnel to open the way so that there were no external wounds.
This is a interesting viewpoint, but it doesnt include the issues when who is the rightful King is the issue.
For example: Edward the V. Never crowned, never proclaimed, never ruled. And a law was passed by Parliment which meant he wasnt the rightful heir.
Now, later, that law was reversed. But long after EdV had died. So, how was he ever King?
I mean, if he was King, then RIII was never rightful King. One or the other. Nor HVII.
Was Lady Jane Grey ever Queen, then?
It’s true that the question of who, exactly, is the rightful king could indeed arise, but clarifying this issue is not the purpose of the coronation; that question is answered long before the coronation in a different ceremony. The United Kingdom, traditionally, does that through the Accession Council - a special meeting of the Privy Council which proclaims the accession to the throne of the new monarch, very shortly after the death (or resignation) of the previous incumbent. This proclamation is not constitutive but only declaratory (since, legally, the heir automatically becomes monarch the moment of the predecessor’s death), but it would clarify ambiguities long before a coronation would be even scheduled. Edward VIII. was never crowned, but there was an Accession Council proclaiming him to be king.