From our special correspondent in Liverpool (UK)
While King Charles III was crowned this Saturday in Liverpool, life went on as if nothing had happened or almost. On the side of the M & S Arena in Liverpool, where the Eurovision final will be held on Saturday May 13, rehearsals, including that of France and the United Kingdom, continued as planned in the program.
The city is proud to host the competition and shows it in its streets, which are in tune with the blue, yellow and pink colors of the logo of the 2023 edition. a sharp eye for spotting evocations of the coronation. The football club and the legacy of the Beatles, around which this city in the northwest of England has forged its identity, have even been relegated to the background. That is to say…
” A duty “
“It’s not every day that we host Eurovision,” said Helen, who met at Eurovision Village, the fan zone in the heart of Liverpool where the coronation ceremony was broadcast on a giant screen this morning. The mother of the family wanted to “kill two birds with one stone” by coming to experience the event here rather than staying at home. Even if Charles is not her “favorite”, she made it “a duty” to follow this historic moment because “the royal family is part of who we are, us Britons. »
Philip, 28, who came from London to attend the musical competition, says he is there for the same reason, as a “fan” of the royal family and “great traditions”. But he admits it, he does not feel the same enthusiasm for Charles III as for Elizabeth II…
A few steps away, four retirees wearing hats in the colors of the Union Jack sit at a table, unpacking packets of crisps and biscuits. “Charles could have passed the baton directly to William. With Kate, they form a superb couple, ”Michele whispers to us, pink hair and good humor displayed. They and his wife Katie say they are “not very royalist”.
“Camilla is not my queen”
They mainly came to the Eurovision Village to find their friends. “I still feel a certain emotion, concedes Michele, because it is a historic moment and life is short, I would probably not have the opportunity to see another coronation. Across from her, Jill can’t help but rail against Camilla. “She’s not my queen. Diana would have been perfect, ”she says before relaunching the discussion on other gossip people.
If the Eurovision Village extends over a huge space which will be sold out during the final of the competition, the assistance this Saturday morning is sparse. A few hundred people at most made the trip. The applause when the Archbishop of Canterbury said the famous words “God Save the King” around midday was spontaneous, but not deafening.
“In Liverpool, feelings towards the royal family are mixed, Helen warned us. The fact that there are few people here reflects this disconnection. It’s frustrating because it’s an occasion that should bring people together. With Eurovision next Saturday, it will be different: we will all be together. That’s good, the slogan of this edition is “United by music”, united by music.