Mike Hosking: Inside Westminster Abbey for the King’s Coronation - A moment in history that lives forever

OPINION

It’s hard to know where to start.

But I had no shortage of time to work it out given I was seated in Westminster Abbey by 7.30am.

I wondered how badly time would drag given it didn’t start until 11am.

By 9am, the choir and orchestra began to play, and that was your first treat of the day. The sound in the Abbey is astonishing.

I was seated with members of the House of Lords and various judges who were wearing their wigs, which made me wonder whether that was the reason the King chose May for the coronation.

Because despite the weather, which started out mild and fine but turned to a bit of rain, the Abbey is warm and I am assuming by mid-June it could well be hot. There was a lot of heavy cloaking, and that’s before we get to the crowns.

King Charles III kneels during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London.

The odd thing about the Abbey is for most people you can’t actually see a thing. Between the walls and pillars and various religious paraphernalia, it’s really a collection of nooks and crannies.

I was lucky. I was seated directly next to where some of history’s greatest names are buried - Newton, Darwin, Dickens, Chaucer.

My eyeline met the Royal Family on the other side. At its closest point the King and Queen were no more than 30 metres from me.

Those like UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who had major parts walked directly in front of me (he is even smaller than you thought).

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Ashkata Murthy. Photo / AP

In a sense it seemed unfair, as I wandered off to the toilet after about three hours of waiting inside. I walked past the good and the great who had seats at the entrance to the Abbey. I couldn’t believe how close our little media group were and how small a contingent it was - just 27 of us.

For those further back, once they’d watched the heavyweight arrivals walk past them, that would be the end of being able to see anything. That is until it was all over and those same people walked out.

That was the overarching mood of the day. Everyone knew viewing in some way, shape or form would be restricted. But it was the “being there” that counted.

You were a witness to history, and unlike so many events these days this one was rare.

Mike Hosking in his Savile Row suit on his way to the King's Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Photo / Supplied

Virtually no one would have seen or been at the last one, so it had a character of uniqueness to it.

We all felt privileged.

There were so many famous people, spotting them ran the risk of being boring.

There was a buzz when Prince Harry arrived. I thought he looked sort of lost. He was with other family but in that ‘we put him with the cousins’ sort of way. His seat was not as bad as some media had suggested, but even he spent a decent chunk of the ceremony looking at the screen given the viewing restrictions, not to mention Princess Anne’s hat in front of him.

Britain's Prince Harry, centre, arrives at Westminster Abbey for the coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles III, in London, Saturday. Photo / AP

Prince William is tall, way taller than the rest of them. If I were to pick a highlight, his oath on bended knee in front of his father was very touching.

I am probably being unfair, but musically the Ascension Choir brought not just diversity but an amazing life to the Abbey.

TV hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, who are known in New Zealand but amazingly popular in Britain, got a cheer and a lot of clapping when they arrived. They won the prize for the biggest reaction, although the Royal Family received applause as they left.

We had seen Dec in Savile Row earlier in the week. He was going into the same place we were coming out of, having bought a pocket square. It’s a place called Drakes which is for the “edgier dresser”, I am told.

At the Abbey we got given a ticket to enter and a copy of the order of service. Strict instructions came with that - one copy per person, no excuses. Apparently something went awry at the Queen’s funeral so they’d tightened up on that. Both mementos of this major occasion.

Britain's Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, followed by Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, arrive at the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, London. Photo / AP

The odd thing about being inside the event is that you miss the outside action. The King, I was told, was on his way, but we wouldn’t have known that sitting in the Abbey. The first we saw was when the carriage pulled up.

The bells that were tolling could barely be heard inside, and part way through when the crown was placed on the royal head (I thought the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gave it a bit too much pressure, and did it twice, plus it’s not light) cannon fire was let off from various parts of Britain. We couldn’t hear that either.

People were impeccably dressed and impeccably polite, it seemed everyone knew how lucky they were. No matter who you were or where you came from, you were all equal for a couple of hours.

I thought that again as I wandered out a side door at the end.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry was standing next to me. He was by himself for a while we exchanged pleasantries, before he took a phone call.

Actor Joanna Lumley wandered out. I shook her hand and told her who I was given we’ve talked a number of times for interviews. She said she remembered (regardless whether she did) but like everyone else she was astonishingly lovely.

Newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla have emerged from Westminster Abbey for a grand procession returning to Buckingham Palace after his coronation. Photo / Supplied

Standing outside the Abbey, I then turned and realised the gold carriage the King and Queen were leaving in was just across the lawn, beyond the small fence that surrounds the church.

I had a spectacular view inside. I had an even better one outside. The carriage went past, off to the Palace for the balcony wave.

Just like that it was over.

We filed out, through the security tent that had been abandoned, across Lambeth Bridge where several hours earlier I had said hello to Stephen Fry waiting in line, and into a taxi whose driver told me I didn’t have a hope in hell of getting back to the hotel because every central road was shut.

I just made it back in time to see live pictures of the Mall, the royal wave and the fly by.

It’s one of those moments you think “how long would you walk for, how long would you wait for, how much security can you endure, how many crowds do you want to battle?”.

A crowd gathers at Whitehall ahead of the coronation ceremony for Britain's King Charles III in London. Photo / AP

The answer is all of it and more.

I love the royals so I’m a paid-up member. But even the most hardened republican would have had trouble in the Abbey not seeing the overwhelming history, power, influence and consistency of the monarchy.

Two hours that live forever.