Tariro Mzezewa on Why She Won’t Be Watching the Coronation
After decades of royal watching, the Zimbabwean-American journalist explains her reasons for sitting this moment out.
As the coronation of King Charles III draws near, I’m hearing from more folks who are choosing not to tune in. There is notable apathy, with a YouGov poll last month showing 35% of adults in Britain said they “do not care very much” about the crowning and another 29% saying they “do not care at all.” Others are turned off by a lavish celebration taking place at a difficult economic time for the UK.
Here at So Many Thoughts, I’m most curious about long-time royal watchers opting out, particularly those whose feelings toward the family have changed. Below is a guest essay by journalist Tariro Mzezewa explaining the arc of her royal watching. I have been a reader of Tariro’s work, particularly her royal pieces, for years now. Check out her take on The Crown for the New York Times (“For the African Women Who Love Diana, ‘The Crown’ Feels Personal”) and her thoughts on Spare for the Cut (“Prince Harry is Upset About the Wrong Thing.”)
For SMT, Tariro reflects on what drew her to the Windsors as well as when, and why, her feelings started to change.
ICYMI: Ateh Jewel on the monarchy ‘for better or for worse’ and Elizabeth Angell on the moment ‘the royal family presents itself officially to us’
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The So Many Thoughts Coronation Podcast
Click below to listen to a look back at the history of coronations, a preview of King Charles III’s crowning, and my conversations with royal writers and watchers about this complex moment in royal history. (Episode 3 is free for all!)
PS: You can listen to this Substack podcast in your favorite podcast app! Details on how to do that can be found here.
Tariro Mzezewa on Why She Won’t Be Watching the Coronation
For weeks, my mother and I have been going back and forth about whether we will tune into King Charles III’s coronation. To many this might seem like a silly thing, but to us — a pair of obsessive royal watchers for decades now — that we would even consider not watching such an historic event is a big deal.
I’ve re-told the story of the first, and only, time my mother saw Princess Diana in Harare, Zimbabwe in the early 1990s so many times that in some ways I feel like it is my own. Of course, I know that it isn’t my story and my mother tells it far better than I ever could. But I like to tell it because I love how happy the sight of the princess walking outside the Sheraton Hotel made her. Although they didn’t speak, just seeing Diana in person made her feel connected to her.
The story makes me feel connected to both my mom and Princess Diana, who died when I was five years old. Growing up in Zimbabwe and later in the United States, our home seemed to always have something to do with our friend Lady Di, whom you’d think we knew personally. Whether it was the VHS recording of her wedding, a magazine with her picture on the cover, or a photo book of her life and looks, Diana was a constant presence in our lives. When we moved to the United States in the early 2000s, we remained obsessed. We held the princess up as the standard when we tuned into award shows. If an actress wore a black dress, we recalled Diana’s revenge dress or her Travolta dress; if a singer wore a purple dress, we compared it to Diana’s 1996 Versace look (one of our favorites). For every modern look, there was a Diana comparison to be made. Joining the fashion police in their critiques and appreciation of celebrity’s red carpet looks was simply an extension of the sport we’d mastered while obsessing over the royal family.
My love of royal watching feels like something I inherited from my mother, something I’ve always had. I am also a girl who loves romance; I eagerly bought the fairytales Disney sold. Watching the royal family always felt like seeing a real-life fairytale (even though we know that was anything but true). While I maintain some skepticism and know that “happily ever after” is often the stuff of fiction, I’ve always loved what royal events and the hubbub around them brings. It’s an excuse to tune out from my everyday life and into this purported fairytale that feels so foreign and romantic from afar.
When then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles got married in 2005, my mom and I had our eyes glued to the television. We analyzed Camilla’s dress (boring, but appropriate); her hat of choice (confusing); whether Princes Harry and William seemed happy about the nuptials (no way!); if the queen really approved of the marriage (she didn’t have a choice, did she?). In 2011, when Kate Middleton and Prince William got married, despite being in different countries and time zones — my mom in Washington DC and I in Rome — we got on Skype to debrief about Kate’s Alexander McQueen wedding dress (we loved it! Harry’s future wife would have a lot to live up to, we said at the time).
When Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, we once again watched the royal wedding from different cities, but talked through the entire ceremony. Meghan’s dress, we thought, was perfect, right down to the details of her embroidered dress representing 53 Commonwealth countries. Part of the sheer delight of royal watching was that it gave us a sense of escape — even if just for a few hours. I loved seeing people in beautiful clothes, in classic uniforms and, of course, in tiaras and jewels.
King Charles’ upcoming coronation marks the first royal event in my life that my mother and I are conflicted about watching. These days, it seems, it’s impossible for us to separate the atrocities committed by the monarchy from the pomp and celebration. The uniforms remind me of the images of colonial soldiers, the tiaras and baubles remind me of the plundering done at the hand of the monarchy. And, unfortunately, no amount of beautiful clothes seem to surpass the discomfort of those other realities for me.
My change in perspective has come with age and education, but it is also the result of hearing Harry and Meghan talk about the inner-workings of the royal family. While I am skeptical of some of the Sussexes’ claims about the challenges of being in the British Royal Family, I do believe that, at a bare minimum, despite his power and influence, the king didn’t stop the British tabloids’ cruelty and racism toward Meghan.
While watching weddings, royal baby births, and jubilees in the past, I always chose to focus on the delight of seeing people from all over Britain and the world come together to celebrate. In light of Meghan’s experience, it’s hard to continue to support an institution that seemingly refused to accept her — the love of their son’s, brother’s, and nephew’s life. I believe Meghan and Harry enough that the sparkle of the royal family has faded.
I don’t think that the king is all bad or all good. I recognize that through the Prince’s Trust, he has contributed immensely to the lives of underprivileged people in Britain. I believe that he cares about the environment and other social causes that matter to me. Knowing that the coronation will be a less lavish affair than in the past makes me happy, it suggests that the king might understand why people feel resentment and anger toward the monarch.
But at a time when we all find ourselves often wondering if we can separate the good parts of institutions from their legacies of slavery, colonialism and racism, it only feels consistent and right that I decline all parts of this particular institution, including the parts that have long captured my attention, like royal weddings and, in this case, the coronation. In recent weeks, to my own surprise, I’ve found myself glossing over coronation and other royal news headlines and do not plan to watch on May 6. I’ll have to settle for everyone’s Instagram posts this time around. Meanwhile, my mom hasn’t decided if she’ll be tuning in or not.
Thank you so much,
! You can find her on Instagram here, subscribe to her Substack here, and follow her writing for the Cut here.
My feelings about the coronation and the royal family are so mixed, thank you for allowing the voice for different perspectives in this space Elizabeth!
I too have mixed feelings about watching the Coronation. I had looked forward to the Coronation to see the pop and circumstance, but hoped Queen Elizabeth II would live to be pass 100 before this day came. When Duchess of Sussex joined the family it was even more special that someone who looks like me would be a part of historic events. I understand why Duchess of Sussex is not attending the British media is obsessed with her and she would be on the cover of papers not the King. It’s disheartening that The Firm wasn’t about to protect Duchess of Sussex ; something could have been said to stop the racism part the media played. However I will up at 5am for the history that I am able to watch. Like the Windsors I have long longevity in my family so will likely see Prince George coronation.