Chapter 2375 - 306: The Frenzied Parade Ceremony

This is the craziest scene I’ve ever witnessed in my life.

—— Eld Carter, "Carter’s Memoirs: A Politician’s Life"

Victoria’s coronation not only drew the attention of the British people but also caught the interest of that noisy neighbor across the English Channel. Several mainstream French newspapers sent special correspondents to London to report on this significant event to the people of Paris as soon as possible.

Besides the French, which other country showed great enthusiasm for the coronation of the Queen of England?

Prussia, Austria, or perhaps the Russians?

No, none of them. That country was separated from Britain by the vast distance of the Atlantic Ocean.

In fact, while the English were caught up in "Victoria Fever" due to the Queen’s ascension, the Americans also developed a great enthusiasm for the new monarch’s ascension. Surprisingly, this enthusiasm from the Americans was not negative or dismissive but genuinely positive.

Despite many London newspapers sarcastically saying, "The Americans are playing their old game of pretending to be English."

Many American domestic publications also heavily criticized the public’s enthusiasm for the enemy monarch, with "American Magazine and Democratic Review" even disdainfully calling it "anti-republic Queen fever."

But regardless of the media’s sneers and sarcasm, North America’s "Victoria fever" showed no signs of waning. Even in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the American Revolution, one could see commemorative combs with Victoria’s portrait, "specially made for the coronation" Victoria soap, and other related products everywhere.

It is well known that, while the media often guides public opinion, they also frequently become slaves to newspaper sales and willingly become slaves to popular topics.

When the "Evening Mail" saw their sales double due to continued coverage of Victoria’s coronation preparations, many American newspapers overnight changed their stances, raising a white flag to the British tyranny they abhorred.

Such grand spectacles also encouraged a large number of American writers to set out to visit England, vowing to produce a coronation travelogue that would set record-breaking sales in American history upon their return.

Less known, however, was that the former U.S. president Andrew Jackson, who stepped down a year ago, had communicated with Victoria through diplomatic channels.

In his letter, Mr. Jackson expressed great interest in the coronation matters and conveyed his regret at not being able to attend the ceremony in person.

The current U.S. President, Martin Van Buren, also sent a congratulatory letter to Victoria through the American Ambassador to the UK a month ago.

Of course, the high level of attention from the American side did not pique the curiosity of the British public. Compared to the new continent country on the fringes of the civilized world, they were evidently more focused on today’s parade.

In fact, even before dawn, looking out from the highest point of the Tower of London, one could see many people gathering near Buckingham Palace.

Long before these spectators set off, according to the security plan drawn up by Sir Arthur Hastings, an artillery detachment from Woolwich had already taken up position behind Marlborough Palace within St. James’s Park since midnight.

By seven in the morning, the outer walkway of the City Hall was taken over by the 20th Infantry Regiment and the police force. It wasn’t long before the appearance of six Guard Cavalry detachments quickly filled the gaps between these areas, while the line of defense toward the arch was constructed by the Police Intelligence Department Chief, Sharpshooter Superintendent Thomas Plunkett’s old unit—the York-based 95th Rifle Regiment "Green Jacket."

As daylight broke, the crowd of onlookers near Buckingham Palace continued to grow significantly, clearly putting great pressure on Scotland Yard’s security efforts. Fortunately, they had already deployed enough police presence at Buckingham Palace in advance. Sir Charles Rowan, the secretary-general of the Police Commissioner Committee and Sir Richard Mayne, Minister of the Royal Greater London Police Department, were also on the scene to direct operations, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

By eight o’clock in the morning, the streets along Constitution Hill and the area inside the iron fence separating St. James’s Park and Green Park were packed with well-dressed citizens. Even ladies who usually avoid the public eye lowered their airs, held parasols, and mingled with the crowd.

Behind the front-row citizens, enterprising merchants had already set up a series of platforms of varying heights. For a fee of 2 shillings and 6 pence, one could obtain an excellent vantage point here. These temporary platforms stretched almost from the Duke of Sutherland’s residence to the Triumphal Arch opposite the entrance to Hyde Park. Even the rooftops near St. George Hospital and Grosvenor Square were covered with various viewing stands.

However, even though the ticket price of 2 shillings and 6 pence was not cheap, within the scope of our vision, we still couldn’t find a single empty spot.

As for those with substantial financial resources, they evidently wanted a better viewing experience than standing tickets could offer. As is well known, in the highly commercialized city of London, where there is market demand, there are always alternative solutions to meet those needs.

If you are willing to pay three times the price, you can ascend the spacious and expensive viewing platforms.

As we can see, those seated up there were almost entirely elegantly dressed ladies.

Shortly after nine-thirty in the morning, the honor guard of the Guard Cavalry Regiment and the Royal Cavalry Guard first assembled in front of Buckingham Palace, followed by twelve Royal Carriages and state limousines, which successively arrived and entered the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, ready to set off.