Coronation fever has yet to catch on in the United Kingdom as over half of the public say they aren't interested in King Charles' big day scheduled to take place next month, according to a new poll.
Charles is due to be crowned in an elaborate coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey alongside Queen Camilla on May 6, as part of a weekend of celebrations including a national holiday.
The last coronation to take place was for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 when an estimated three million people took to London's streets to watch the procession from Buckingham Palace and partake in the festivities.
According to new data published by global public opinion and data company YouGov, the majority of Britons appear not to care about the ceremony. When asked "How much do you care about the forthcoming coronation of King Charles," 64 percent of a representative group of 3,070 U.K. adults responded "not very much" or "not at all."
This was opposed to 33 percent who responded "a great deal" and "a fair amount." Three percent answered that they did not know.
The response was more equally divided when asked, "How likely are you to watch King Charles' coronation and/or take part in celebrations surrounding it?"
Forty-eight percent said "not very likely" or "not at all likely" while 46 percent said they were "fairly likely" or "very likely" to watch. Five percent responded that they did not know.
These figures are not necessarily uncommon among Brits for more recent largescale royal events. In a similar poll undertaken by YouGov in May 2022, 56 percent of respondents said they "do not and probably will not make plans" to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
In December 2022, over half of the survey's respondents said they planned on snubbing King Charles' first Christmas speech, traditionally broadcast on Christmas Day itself.
Though not unique, the results may still prove a disappointment for Charles and his aides, leading royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, told Newsweek.
"On the face of it, these are disappointing results for the Palace. However, there are just over three weeks to go before the event and there is plenty of time for enthusiasm to grow," Fitzwilliams said.
"Questions of this type, especially during a cost of living crisis, might well be met with some skepticism. The British normally enjoy the celebrations of spectacular events such as weddings and jubilees in their millions. They also put the country on the map worldwide.
"If there were little interest in royal matters there would be far less in the press and online where the coverage has been vast," he said.
Plans for the coronation were announced in October 2022, just one month after Charles acceded to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth at the age of 96 after 70 years as monarch.
Charles will be the 40th sovereign crowned at Westminster Abbey, and the service, though adapted to be in keeping with modern times, will still follow closely the order used for the late Anglo-Saxon kings.
Buckingham Palace stated at the time of the announcement that Queen Camilla would also be crowned during the service officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It will be the first joint coronation of a king and queen consort since 1937 when Charles' grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, were crowned.
A number of high-profile guests will attend the ceremony, with First Lady Jill Biden representing the United States and members of foreign royal families such as King Gustav of Sweden and Prince Albert of Monaco also scheduled to appear at the abbey.
Earlier this month, Prince Harry confirmed that he will make the journey from his home in California to attend his father's big day, but a statement announced that Meghan Markle would remain in the U.S. with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
