Former Secretary General to the Commonwealth organization has commended the coronation of King Charles the Third and Queen Camilla which took Place on the 6th of May, 2023.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Anyaoku described the coronation as a magnificent display of culture.
But some of the organization’s members may not be as excited as others.
South Africa has called for the United Kingdoms to return its prized artifacts to them as its rightful owner.
The Star of Africa, the biggest diamond in the world, is placed in the royal sceptre that King Charles III held at his coronation on Saturday.
As of last year, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, India had also previously reached out for the return of the Kohinoor Diamond placed on the crown of the former queen.
It was reported that due to this, Queen Camilla was not allowed to wear it during the coronation and wore that of Former Queen Mary.
When asked about this controversy and how the commonwealth would step in, Anyaoku stated, “We must recognize that the commonwealth did not loot Africa or India, the British colonies did. Colonialism had it’s own bad aspect which are now part of history but the modern Commonwealth came into existence in 1949 after the London declaration established the Commonwealth would be an organization of sovereign states and it is in that capacity that the commonwealth operates. And discussions about restitution of some objects that were taken away by the colonial authorities is a matter for individual governments and British governnents and is not an issue before the Commonwealth.“
But that was not the only controversy surrounding the coronation, as anti-monarchy protesters surrounded the castle with signboards making statements like “Not My King” and “Do Away With The Crown” as some of them called for a republican government. Many believed that Charles’ reign would not be as popular as his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
According to Anyaoku said, “Yes of course there were demonstrators saying Not my King and calling for republicanism but all the pros indicate that that remains a minority views. The issue of the popularity of King Charles will grow like Elizabeth who did not start out with the degree of popularity she ended with.”
All in all, He stated that the King’s input was of utmost important to the Commonwealth as its Head and though they will not be publicly aired, his views will be taken with such importance on matters of urgency to the organization and the global community.
Glamour Adah
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