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SF British Deputy Consul General shares details with KTVU about her trip to Buckingham Palace ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, and Bay Area celebrations.
KTVU’s Jana Katsuyama spoke with the British Deputy Consul General about the details of King Charles III’s coronation, as well as a local British tearoom that is hosting a viewing party.
SAN FRANCISCO - The coronation of King Charles III on Saturday marked a historic changing of an era, as people around the world had a chance to see the preparations for the ceremony that hasn't been held in 70 years.
The excitement was felt in the San Francisco Bay Area as well, as local coronation celebrations were planned to coincide with the weekend events in London.
For San Francisco-based British Deputy Consul General Tammy Sandhu, it was especially thrilling.
Sandhu was honored at Buckingham Palace by the Royal Family last week, flown from San Francisco to London to receive the prestigious Member of the Order of the British Empire medal, bestowed in a ceremony by Princess Anne. The investiture ceremony was held just as preparations for King Charles's coronation were in full swing.
"Just around the palace, stages were being set up for this weekend. The stalls were being set up for all the people lucky enough to get tickets. London is looking fabulous," said Sandhu, "People that worked in the palace were about to receive the new crests on all of their clothing, the new insignias, so that was very, very exciting."
The King planned for his coronation ceremony to be shorter than his mother's coronation in 1953, and King Charles III decided to expand the guest list to include a diverse group of religious leaders.
"He's much more of a 20th century, 21st century monarch," said British expat Christopher Dean, who owns Crown and Crumpet tearooms in San Francisco and Ross, with his wife Amy. They decided months ago to hold a special Coronation Tea event Saturday to mark the historic moment.
For Dean and many other Brits, King Charles III represents the changing of an era, and the first chance in 70 years for younger generations to witness the ceremony.
"My mother is 86, and so she kind of remembers it from 1953," Dean said. "It's a whole generation, or two even, of people who have not experienced a coronation. So it's a big deal."
The British Consulate in San Francisco has been posting photos on social media of the King's 2005 visit to the Bay Area, with the hashtag #WhenImettheKing, when he called attention to issues of climate change, agriculture, and sustainability.
Deputy Consul General Sandhu says cultural and ethnic diversity are also a priority for the new King. She wore a traditional Indian dress to Buckingham Palace for her investiture ceremony and was honored by the Royal family for her work to change racial attitudes within Britain's foreign service.
"How we make our foreign policy less racist, or think about it through a race lens," Sandhu said.
The British Consulate in San Francisco will host a private coronation reception Saturday at Grace Cathedral.
On Sunday, there is a concert scheduled in Tiburon open to the public, which is mirroring the coronation concert in England.
And Monday, the British consulate staff will be answering the King's call to volunteer by holding a cleanup event at Golden Gate Park's Stowe Lake.