19th February
The Coronation of King Charles 111 will not be the event of the year for Ambridge Socialist supporters. We will be organising a Roll On The Red Republic festival on the Village Green in May.
That said there is an interesting Archers link to the Coronation, leaving aside the Queen Consort’s long association.
A report in the Times (18th February) notes that since the late twelfth century a Coronation tradition has been to present the new monarch with golden spurs. Oliver Cromwell had them melted down, sensibly, but on the Restoration a new set was made for the Coronation of King Charles 11 in 1661.
At the last Coronation in 1953 the spurs were carried by Lord Hastings and Lord Churston (Yarde-Buller). Both claim descent from John Marshall who first performed the role for Richard 1 in 1189. Unfortunately Lord Churston died aged 88 on Thursday leaving just Lord Hastings.
Lord Hastings is in fact Delaval Hastings who from 1990-92 was Cameron Fraser of Ambridge. He bought the Berrow Estate and struck up a relationship with Elizabeth Archer (as well as Caroline Bone). Elizabeth became pregnant but determined to have the baby. At this point Cameron Fraser disappeard, revealed as a con man,and Elizabeth did in fact have an abortion
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