King Charles III visit to Zimbabwe
On May the 6th the world witnessed the coronation of King Charles the III at Westminster Abbey in London. The 2000 plus strong congregation included royalty and global leaders. The last time such an event was held in Britain was 50 years ago.
King Charles was born at Buckingham palace on the 14th of November 1948.
At the age of four, he witnessed his mother’s coronation the late Queen Elizabeth the 2nd. Fast forward to 1969, at the age of 20, he was invited by the Queen as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle.
A year after Zimbabwe gained Independence, he married the late Lady Princess Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. From the marriage he has two sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry.
On the 9th of April 2005 after his divorce with lady Diana. He married the Queen Consort Camilla in a civil ceremony at the Guidhall, Windsor.
For the past 900 years the coronation has been held in Westminster Abbey and King Charles will be the 40th to be coronated there. (BBC News).
King Charles became the first, British Royal Monarch member to visit Zimbabwe after Independence and to witness Zimbabwe in being declared an independent state.
King Charles attended the midnight ceremony which was held at Salisbury’s main stadium with representatives of about 100 countries and about 35,000 Zimbabweans.
He (Prince Charles [by then]) presided the ceremony.
He witnessed the Union Jack being lowered for the last time in an African colony and the new five colored Zimbabwe flag being raised high.
Prince Charles drew cheers from the crowd when he used the Shona word for Independence in a speech echoing the late President (Prime Minister by then) Mugabe’s theme of reconciliation. (Washington Post)
Ironically it was then when the late President Mugabe announced that Zimbabwe will join the Commonwealth. King Charles returned to Zimbabwe four years later as the Director of the Commonwealth development Corporation.
In 2005, King Charles meet the late President Mugabe at the late Pope Paul II’s funeral and exchanged greetings.
President Mnangagwa is attending the ceremony at a time when Zimbabwe is mending Bridges with the West at the same time seeking to re- enter the Commonwealth family.
