On the weekend I decided to go to Central London for a quiet walk and take some photos of Buckingham Palace and the route that King Charles III will take on Saturday 6 May.
Below are some photos of the Buckingham Palace area. You will also see that my idea was not a novel one.
Buckingham Palace – Main Gate (Photo by K. A. Smith)Buckingham Palace – Green Park side (Photo by K. A. Smith) Queen Victoria Memorial (boarded up and protected) with Buckingham Palace in the background (Photo by K. A. Smith)Press Booths on the ready (Photo by K. A. Smith)Yes, more Press Booths facing Buckingham Palace (Photo by K. A. Smith)Buckingham Palace -front view (Photo by K. A. Smith)View from between Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria Memorial. Seating area can be seen to the right in the background. Photo taken facing the direction of the Mall (Photo by K. A. Smith)Seating area facing Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace (Photo by K. A. Smith)
Tomorrow I will post photos of St. James Park, The Mall and Admiralty Arch.
On Sunday 18 April, my travels took me to Stratford in East London. It had a dramatic facelift since it hosted the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is now a bustling hub for shoppers and tourists.
As. part of my visit to Stratford, I visited the Westfields Mall to buy an item. To my surprise, I saw this display of biscuits tins (see below).
Biscuit tins
While I did not buy the biscuits (not yet), I decided to buy the item below. I believe it will go well with a lunch sandwich.
CrispsStratford Train Station with Westfield Mall in the backgroundStratford Bus Depot located in front of the train
It is now official that Prince Harry will be attending the Coronation and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
As Prince Harry is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, it is unclear what role if any he will play during the Coronation.
You may also be aware that the date of the Coronation is also the fourth birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan’s son, Prince Archie.
The Coronation Concert
It was announced today that Lionel Ritchie, American singer, songwriter, global superstar and Chair for the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince’s Trust will be performing at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.
Children’s activity
Below are templates published by the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace specifically for children.
The King’s Procession, accompanied by The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, will depart Buckingham Palace through the Centre Gate, and proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and south of King Charles I Island, down Whitehall toward Westminster and along Parliament Street.
The Mall
The King’s Procession will continue travel around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary to arrive at the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Service will begin at 11 o’clock British Standard Time.
The total distance of travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey is 1.3 miles.
King Charles III and The Queen Consort – photo taken at Clarence House in London on Thursday February 23, 2023 by Chris Jackson.
King Charles III coronation is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey, London on Saturday 6 May, 2023. Over the next 30 days, I will share my experiences throughout London as King Charles III coronation approaches.
The first documented coronation at Westminster Abbey was on Christmas day in the year 1066. On that day, William was crowned King. King William was also later known as William the Conqueror.
The official coronation emblem is below along with information explaining the significance of the emblem’s design.
“The emblem pays tribute to The King’s love of the natural world, unifying the flora of the four nations of the United Kingdom; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. Together, the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown, with which His Majesty The King will be crowned during the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey […]. The emblem has been designed using the red, white and blue of the union flag. “
If you have any questions or requests then please let me know.
I drew on information shared with me by my mother and grand uncles, now deceased, and my siblings and cousins. In addition, I found a few gems through targeted internet searches – yes the internet.
My initial research has lead me to the following conclusions:
my maternal great great grand mother’s name was Dianna; and
my safari will take me through Crooked Island, The Bahamas and Liverpool, England.
I located a story that involved Crooked Island, the then Governor of The Bahama Islands and 10 Downing Street, London. Fascinating right? It appears that the story in question took place when Dianna’s daughter was alive. While this may not be connected with Dianna, I am relying on my instincts which are “telling me” to research the Governor/10 Downing Street path. As far as instincts go, I am inspired by the Monarch Butterfly.
These butterflies 4,000+ miles migration span three countries (Mexico, The United States and Canada) and unfolds as follows:
In the spring, monarchs fly north from Mexico, and breed in the southern United States;
the next generation flies father north up through southern Canada and breeds again; and
Then in the fall the next generation flies all the way back to Mexico for the winter.
So I will follow my instincts. I intend to conduct additional desk research at the National Archives at Kew, Richmond, England. I am very hopeful that this will take me closer to my maternal home.
As always, I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story or any recommendations in the comment space below.
I have been inspired by many people over the years but most recently I was reminded about this intended safari after viewing a video clip from a movie I saw some years ago.
The blog was focused on words that were spoken by Actor Djimon Hounsou, while playing the character Cinque, in the 1997 movie, Amistad. Those words and the context in which they were spoken resonated with me once again.
So now I am up and moving, seeking the answer to the following question:
“Where is home of my maternal ancestors?”
I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story in the comment space below.
A permanent national Monument to the Windrush Generation was commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government in the UK (now called Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities) is expected to be unveiled at Waterloo Station, London today on Windrush Day, 22 June. The Windrush Generation originated from some of the then British West Indian Territories.
I take this opportunity to thank and honour those pioneers from that generation who made significant contribution to rebuilding the UK after the Second World War. My understanding is that they were humane, ambitious, intelligent, skilled, community mined and loved their country.
Well done to the Windrush campaigners and supporters who successfully secured this day and to the UK for honouring the Windrush Generation in this way.