LONDON — On the day of King Charles’s coronation he went to the dogs.
Around 150 fluffy-eared, doe-eyed namesakes of Charles’ ancestor Charles II paraded down London’s King’s Road to celebrate the country’s new monarch on Saturday.
Drenched but largely unfazed by the rain, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, some wearing tiaras and others in red royal cloaks, flocked with their owners to Chelsea, one of the capital’s most fashionable neighborhoods.
“I just thought this was a no-brainer,” said Jenny Matthews, who owns a pet grooming service, cafe and boutique on King’s Road and who came up with the idea for the show.
“It is the day of the coronation of our King Carlos III,” Matthews, 53, told NBC News. “What more can we do for him than round up as many King Charles Spaniel dogs as possible and parade his way? It is the King’s Road.
He added that the Cavaliers of London ownership group had reached out to its 5,000 members to generate interest and had been inundated with lawsuit.
Sophie Bradley and her dog Amber, from the nearby Hammersmith neighborhood, were among those selected to participate.
And despite the downpour, he said they had a great time.
«Forget British weather,» said Bradley, 51. “It’s once in a lifetime, it makes history…to celebrate the king and his coronation. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day, to be honest with you.»
The event took place after King Charles III was crowned in a ceremony at London’s historic Westminster Abbey.. His wife, Queen Camilla, was also crowned, before a parade of thousands of british armed forces, decked out in colorful dress uniforms, escorted them back to Buckingham Palace. There, they made a traditional balcony appearance alongside other members of the royal family in front of cheering crowds.
«It’s particularly moving and special that we have a monarch, King Charles III, who has literally been crowned king a few hours ago, and be here,» David Lindsay, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said as he joined the party. on King’s Road. «It’s symbolic, it’s fun and it’s part of history, and now we’re just history.»
Before the dog parade, a group of 300 military veterans known as the Chelsea Pensioners marched down the road which, like the spaniels, is named after King Charles II.
Among the protesters was Roy Palmer, 84, who said he had enjoyed tea with Queen Camilla as part of her 75th birthday celebrations.
“It’s wonderful to be here with these people,” said Palmer, who along with the other veterans lives at the nearby Royal Hospital. «It’s historic to begin with.» he added he.
Built in 1682, the hospital predates the King’s Road by 12 years.
After the road was built in 1694, only the king was allowed to use it, and he traveled between his royal residences, St. James’s Palace and Hampton Court.
Later, members of the aristocracy were allowed to travel through it if they had special tokens with the king’s initials. It finally became available to the public in 1830.
More than a century later, it became a hangout for some of the most popular figures in British music and fashion.
The Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the fashion designer Mary Quant were regulars in the 1960s and in the following decade Vivienne Westwood opened her Sex on it store. The notorious punk group the Sex Pistols met there regularly.