Pennants in the colors of the British flag and a long table with a hundred covers: in the village of Ashley Green, England, Britons gathered on Sunday for a "big lunch" to celebrate the coronation of Charles but also simply for the pleasure of spend some time together.
After the rain that drenched the coronation on Saturday in London, the organizers of this lunch did not take any risks: the event took place in the shelter, inside the small village hall of this town in Buckinghamshire, northwest of London.
Around 67,000 "big lunches" and block parties are being held across the UK on Sunday, as part of the festivities for Charles and Camilla's coronation. The last two jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II had already given rise to these festive meetings between neighbors and friends.
Participants brought homemade savory and sweet dishes to share. On the dessert menu: plates of scones overflowing with jam and whipped cream, "summer puddings" made from bread and red berries, and endless meringues.
The girls are dressed in festive dresses, ribbons in the colors of the Union Jack, the British flag, in their hair.
"I find it pleasant," Annette Cathcart, 67, told AFP. "I think we need this kind of thing to bring the community together. (...) It's a perfect way to party".
For Rob Barnes, a 42-year-old retailer who helped organize the lunch, the best thing about street parties is that it doesn't matter if you're a monarchist or not. This party is above all "to get together".
"I didn't watch the coronation. My wife and daughters did watch, but I have mixed feelings about the royal family," he says.
Among the participants are elderly people, but also children and adults with their babies in their arms.
For Katherine Hyde, a retired scientist and royalist, the party represents the village at its best. The country needs more "community spirit", she says, praising King Charles for his work in charities.
A 50-year-old New Zealander from the nearby village of Chesham has "ambivalent" feelings about the monarchy. But this IT manager believes that the country's economic difficulties, with inflation at more than 10%, represent "one more reason to celebrate".
Once the meal is over, an organizer installs a sound system and the music plays.
When the song "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond arrives, the participants stand up, wave their arms, sway. Then the party ends with the national anthem "God Save the King" which resounded across the country on Saturday and Sunday.
05/07/2023 20:11:18 - Ashley Green (Royaume-Uni) (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
