New research shows that only 55%
of Brits intend to watch some or all of next month’s ceremony, with more than a
quarter (27%) proposing to shun all TV coverage1.
Even among dedicated royalists
who watched the entire Queen’s funeral service, little more than half (55%)
plan to tune in for the full event, according to the study by streaming service
WatchTVAbroad.com.
The investiture on May 6 will see
King Charles formally crowned and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, officially
named as Queen. It will be held at Westminster Abbey, which has hosted the
coronations of UK monarchs for the last 900 years.
Among the guests will be Prince
Harry, who this week confirmed he would be attending while his wife Meghan
remained in the US to celebrate the birthday of their son Archie.
Back in 1953 an estimated 27
million people in the UK watched the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II — about
70% of the adult population — with many millions also listening in on radio2.
The WatchTVAbroad study revealed
that men were more likely to avoid the ceremony altogether (30%) than watch it
in full (20%). For women, the reverse was true, with over a quarter (28%)
planning to watch the whole coronation live and 23% deciding to miss it.
Viewers over 55 were the most
likely to follow the whole event, with more than one in four (28%) saying they
would do so, twice as many as those aged 16-24 (14%).
Less than half of Scots surveyed
said they intended to watch the coronation (46%), while the Welsh capital
Cardiff had the least appetite for the royal rite of passage of any UK city,
with just over a third of residents (36%) showing any interest in watching it
on TV.
Jeff Richey, TV analyst at
WatchTVAbroad.com, comments: “When it comes to the King’s coronation, many UK
viewers are displaying clear signs of crown fatigue.
“Since the passing of Queen
Elizabeth last September, Brits have had several months to grieve, as well as
to recognise Charles’s succession, so for all its splendour and tradition, the
formal service itself may not be considered essential viewing.
“At 74, the king is the oldest UK
monarch to be crowned, meaning there is also likely to be less intrigue around
the ceremony — particularly among younger viewers — than there would have been
for a generational ‘changing of the guard’.
“However millions worldwide will
be glued to the historic events at Westminster Abbey, and the scale of the pomp
and ceremony that only royal events can deliver.”
