Here are some of the quirkier stories around the coronation of Charles III as king on May 6.
Top that
Knitted postbox warmers have begun appearing sporadically again across the country, with coronation-themed crocheted figurines.
“Untangled Haydock”, a group promoting wellbeing and social crochet, has decked several red postboxes with crowns and woollen monarchs.
Model monarch
Legoland Windsor has built a miniature coronation scene, with figurines of the king and queen on an imitation Buckingham Palace, a replica of the Gold State Coach and Sunday’s Coronation Concert.
“We had six model makers building it and it took about 32,000 Lego pieces overall,” said the attraction’s chief model maker Paula Leighton.
Hamley’s toy store in central London also has a Charles replica made from the popular plastic bricks.
Waxwork Camilla
Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in central London has taken the wraps off a mannequin of Queen Camilla, alongside Charles, Prince William and his wife Catherine, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip.
The royal statues were removed overnight in October 2022 when climate change protesters smeared a vegan chocolate cake topped with shaving foam on Charles.
Chocolate Chuck
Mars-Wrigley UK has commissioned a life-sized bust of Charles made from more than 17 litres of melted chocolate from some 2,875 of its Celebrations brand of miniature favourites.
“The resemblance is uncanny,” Celebrations senior brand manager Emily Owen said of the edible likeness, which weighs more than 23 kilograms.
Pretty boy
The animal-loving speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle has been preparing his pets for coronation-related events at parliament.
Atlee the cat has done a mouse check while Boris the parrot is being coached. “We’ve been trying to get him to sing God Save the King,” Hoyle said.
Palace sauce
Tomato ketchup, the traditional accompaniment to that British staple, fish and chips, has been rebranded by makers Heinz.
The limited edition “Kingchup” features a crown and bunting. Last year for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, it rebranded its HP Sauce brand to “HM Sauce” and salad cream to “Salad Queen”.
Pimp my ride
Uber is laying on a horse-drawn carriage in Dulwich Park, south London, from May 3-5 for royal fans to take a similar ride to Charles on coronation day.
Trips can be booked via the popular cab-hailing app, with money donated to an animal welfare charity.
Going underground
Public transport operator Transport for London has redesigned its roundel logo for the coronation, topping it with St Edward’s Crown.
The “crowndels” are at several London Underground and Overground stations, as well as on the Elizabeth line, which Charles’s mother opened last year.
Royal flush
A National Archives document about preparations for the last coronation in 1953 highlighted organisers’ concerns about a lack of toilet paper at Westminster Abbey.
Some “84 Elsan Chemical Closets were provided for women and 70 for men in addition to 23 Urinals,” the record from the Ministry of Works noted.
But it added: “It was found, early on coronation day, that much of the lavatory paper had been removed, and in future it will be necessary to take special steps to prevent this.”
Now that’s what I call a coronation
A four-hour long Official Album of the coronation is being released for the first time, so royal fans can relive the historic occasion.
Decca Records has previously released multiple commemorative albums, including for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the royal weddings of Charles’s sons William and Harry.
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