Coronation of Charles III: China showed disdain for Britain

Customs for centuries have directed other crowned royalty not to attend British coronations, Sky News’s international news editor notes in an analysis. – But not at this time. There will be foreign kings, queens, princes and princesses. On the other hand, US President Joe Biden will be absent, but China is sending its own representative, who many consider the “oppressor” of Hong Kong, to the coronation.

For the most powerful people in the world, there can be no event as rare, brilliant and sought after as a British coronation. This hasn’t happened in seven decades, and leaders and their retinues are flying in to take part in it.

For Britain, this is a chance to showcase its best qualities and show as much soft power as was possible diplomatically at the beginning of the “Carolinian era” (that is, the reign of Charles III).

At least four kings and queens and a handful of princes and princesses have gone to London. Participation of 90 heads of states and governments has been announced in the celebrations.

US President Joe Biden follows the conventions and does not come, instead he is represented by his wife Jill, the first lady of America. Biden told King Charles in a telephone conversation that he would not be attending the coronation, and Washington denied that his absence was a snub after his four-day trip to Ireland last month. This is not without precedent. President Dwight Eisenhower did not attend the Queen’s coronation in 1953, instead sending California Governor Earl Warren, former Secretary of State George Marshall, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar Bradley.

The Commonwealth and Development Foreign Office (FCDO) reports that a total of 450 foreign dignitaries will be present at Westminster Abbey – about a quarter of those in attendance – with 200 Commonwealth nations, kingdoms and countries represented.

Seating them all will require strict adherence to protocol to avoid insults and resentment. At the forefront will be foreign royals and representatives of the kingdoms, those 14 countries that still consider the king as head of state. Behind them are representatives of overseas territories, then representatives of other Commonwealth countries with their heads of state. Behind them, other guests will be seated in strict alphabetical order.

In total, this weekend the Foreign Office will receive 220 foreign delegations.

The list of countries that will not receive Buckingham Palace embossed invitations is short and predictable, notes Sky News. Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Iran and Venezuela. North Korea were invited, but only at the ambassadorial level. Nicaragua too.

But there are questions about China. And this is highly controversial because the person Beijing sends is widely known in the West as the “oppressor of Hong Kong.” Chinese President Xi Jinping has declined the invitation and is sending his vice president in his place. Han Zheng is the Chinese official who did the most to tear up the British-Chinese agreement over the former colony, order a violent crackdown on protests in Hong Kong, and send hundreds of people to jail.

The Hong Kong Freedom Committee Foundation told Sky News: “It is rather shameful that the architect of Hong Kong’s doom was invited to the coronation of King Charles III, while other partners with whom the UK has excellent relations, such as Taiwan, were excluded. Who is in command in Britain, is it Beijing or our prime minister? Why do we bow down to Beijing over a guest list for our own coronation?”

Conservative MP Ian Duncan Smith, who was sanctioned by the Chinese government, told Sky News: “Han Zheng is primarily responsible for the crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong under the brutal new national security law. Many of them have British passports, especially Jimmy Lai, journalist and owner of Apple Daily [гонконгской демократической газеты]. The architect of this brutal policy in Hong Kong will stand shoulder to shoulder with the British Prime Minister and the King, while Jimmy Lai and others have lost their freedom.”

Not at all embarrassed by the controversy, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley will meet with Han Zheng ahead of the coronation to discuss “criticisms” with the vice president. Among the topics will be China’s treatment of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang and “non-compliance” on Hong Kong.

But former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten says Han’s presence at the coronation shows that China “doesn’t give a damn” about the UK.

British ministers are using the presence of a host of foreign dignitaries in London to have less controversial meetings on the sidelines of the event.

The government will hope that the coronation will be a powerful display of Britain’s soft power – not least thanks to the presence of world famous celebrities, from Joanna Lumley and the Beckhams to Mr. Bean (aka Rowan Atkinson).

Meanwhile, as Prince Harry traveled from California to London to attend the coronation, the Duchess of Sussex will not be there. Meghan Markle will stay in the United States with her son Archie (who turns 4 on Saturday – the day of the coronation) and one-year-old Lilibet. According to the tabloids, her decision to stay out of her father-in-law’s coronation festivities was because she was unable to get a satisfactory response to a letter she sent to the king expressing concerns about an unconscious bias within the royal family.

And according to the Daily Mail, there was dissatisfaction among British ministers due to the fact that they were refused to take their partners with them to the coronation. A government source told the publication: “Many cabinet ministers and their partners are unhappy with this. They sacrifice a lot for their other half to do the job that they do, and it would be very important for them to be invited to the coronation.”

Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murthy is the only cabinet minister’s partner to attend the event, media reported.