King Charles’ Coronation shows faith in the monarchy is alive and roaring

The royal family copped a disastrous piece of news in the days leading up to the coronation, but it’s been promptly blown up.

The future of the monarchy: Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Picture: Dan Charity - WPA Pool/Getty Images

In London

The royal family’s popularity – going by the data – is in crisis.

Just days before King Charles’ coronation on Saturday, the monarchy was hit with a damaging report about its waning relevance, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials.

More than one-third of UK adults said their opinion of the family had become more negative than it was 10 years ago, polling company Savanta found. Three in 10 said they had become less interested in news about the family over that time.

It’s certainly not a yarn the royals would welcome over the breakfast table, given their (very expensive) existence relies on admiration of the peoples.

But there’s data, and then there’s raw emotion. The two often contradict one another.

The atmosphere on the ground in London at the weekend painted a portrait that blew the bleak statistics out of the water.

An estimated 1.2 million people crowded the streets of London on Saturday, camped along The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and across the entire 2km procession route to bear witness to history-in-the-making.

After Charles was crowned and returned to the palace via the Gold State Coach, those on Whitehall, which is closer to Westminster Abbey, had just 40 minutes to make it there for the famous balcony wave.

It’s a brisk 10-minute walk - if there’s no-one around, that is. Frenetic scenes broke out as people crammed onto the sidewalks, immobile due to the sheer volume of bodies attempting to make it down to The Mall for the big moment.

Most had already been standing in the rain for up to 10 hours, others had camped out overnight, but they still mustered equal parts desire and energy to elbow their way to the palace – well aware they’d only get a nosebleed view of the royals.

You’d never have guessed most punters were soaking wet, cold and sleep-deprived.

When King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the family gathered on the balcony, the bustling crowds united in thunderous applause, chanting ‘God Save the King!’ as the Royal Air Force put on a colourful show in the skies above.

There were laughs, tears, and embraces of jubilation.

Up to 1.2 million people gathered in London for Charles’ coronation. Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Among this, there was an anti-monarchy protest which was pushed to the outskirts of the main action. Its participants were barely a blip among the masses who outweighed them in numbers and vigour.

The power of that support carries a generational tie that is key to the monarchy’s survival.

I, an Australian millennial, became a royal follower because my beloved mother was in awe of Lady Diana.

Mum remembers Princes William and Harry being born. She remembers, painfully, Diana’s death aged just 36 in 1997.

Through her fascination, together, we’ve watched the younger royals grow, marry and give birth to new royals.

It’s incredibly rare to witness one’s journey from the outside; From a baby blissfully unaware of their fortune in the genetic lottery, to a grown adult, making memories and mistakes in the public glare because they hold keys to the kingdom.

It’s a fascination I know I will pass onto my own children, if not due to my own enthusiasm, then as a reminder of my connection with my own mother. And so the cycle, for the many who care to follow, goes around again.

In the previously mentioned data, William and Kate were the most popular royals by a country mile. Sixty-two per cent of UK adults hold a favourable view of the pair.

And therein lies the crowning jewels who will inevitably hold the monarchy intact: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

The future of the British monarchy: Louis, George and Charlotte. Picture: Oli SCARFF / AFP

Everyone alive today, beyond the age of 20, will remember the day George was born. Kate Middleton, dressed in a powder blue summer dress, cradling the future heir to the British throne alongside her husband on the iconic steps of the Lindo Wing.

It’s a familiar sight for many, who recall William being introduced to the world in the same way.

As we watch the youngest royals embark towards the aforementioned milestones, those who follow the family with fascination will feel a level of nostalgia – feeling somehow part of the full journey of a stranger.

And then there will be themes of our own mortality and years gone by; stirring enough to break through and inspire the interest of even the royals’ greatest detractors.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children, rode past fans on Saturday in a carriage during the grand return procession back to the palace, trailing King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Charlotte, in particular, was beaming, enthusiastically waving to the onlookers. She was the running talking point.

Princess Charlotte waves to the public. Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images

The youngest royals were the highlight among royal watchers. Picture: Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images

“Oh my god, Charlotte’s waving at us!” one woman shrieked, before texting her husband to keep him across the adorable happenings.

Another man, holding his feverish young daughter on his shoulders, listened to her say she was “speechless” about the events unfolding before her.

That fascination has the muscle to endure from generation to generation as the decades escape us.

If Charles’ coronation taught us anything, it’s that royal spirit – and the familial connection it brings – is deeper than what data is capable of finding.