Despite the inclement weather that invaded the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, a few Canadians stood proudly in the rain wearing their red and white flags.
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“My grandmother is English and had followed the coronation [de la reine] on black and white television, so I figured I had to come see it in person,” said Torontonian Jeremy Keiton, 20.
With a friend from Vancouver, who is studying with him in Belfast, England, the young man traveled more than 600 km to come and attend the celebrations in person, for his English grandmother.
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“She has always followed the monarchy and kept many of her English traditions. For me, to be there means a lot to her,” he continued.
Along with his family, Leonard Lyn traveled all the way from Ontario to attend the coronation in person. He arrived in the UK on Friday.
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“We wanted to attend the global celebrations of the coronation of the Canadian king, who sits on the maple throne,” he said with a smile.
Canadian history professor Damien Bélanger explains the monarchy on the Mario Dumont show via QUB radio :
“Being right in the heart of High Park during the coronation is wonderful. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said his brother-in-law Steve, of Fergus, Ontario, flag clearly visible on his back.
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Other motivated Canadians have even camped in the rain, to carve out a place of choice during the passage of the royal carriage, sharing photos of the security railing covered with Canadian flags, in a Facebook group of expatriates.