When King Charles III was crowned on Saturday, it was a historic occasion: the United Kingdom’s first coronation in 70 years. The oldest son of Queen Elizabeth is only the kingdom’s 13th monarch, and the event drew big crowds. It also drew Monty Python jokes, thanks to one of the funkier ornaments given to the erstwhile Prince of Wales. But that wasn’t the only coronation joke to take over parts of social media.
Perhaps the biggest scandal of the coronation was whether or not Prince Harry would attend. Charles’ younger son cut partial ties with the Royal Family, and has supported his wife, Meghan Markle, as she’s made numerous shocking revelations about how they treated her before she and her husband decamped for California. Harry did attend, though he was not seen on the balcony with the rest of his family after the ceremony.
Markle, meanwhile, did not attend, although upon seeing one of the attendees, people started a jokey conspiracy that perhaps she was secretly there in disguise.
Someone showed up in disguise at The Coronation. Next to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no less. pic.twitter.com/rdG0fDB3l3
— Ms. Martin Muses (@Teresa__Martin) May 6, 2023
Megan, you’re not fooling us… pic.twitter.com/Ni5wh27keT
— Bob Cryer (@bobbicee) May 6, 2023
Meghan really should’ve picked a more convincing disguise… #Coronation pic.twitter.com/Qa8QNPKYNS
— Tom (@Tom_TheSequel) May 6, 2023
Alas, it was not to be. As per The New York Post, the images of a scruffy older fellow with giant glassed and an epic mustache was not someone incognito. It was Sir Karl Jenkins, an esteemed Welsh composer and multi-instrumentalist who’s performed with Soft Machine, Mike Oldfield, and Elton John. (He plays the oboe on the Tumbleweed Connection track “Come Down in Time.”
But print the legend, even when it’s been easily disproven! There were general disguise jokes.
Well I’m all agog! Who on earth is that next to Mr Lloyd-Webber, surely it’s someone in a disguise… #Coronation pic.twitter.com/agSY6UdlBj
— Larry Grayson (parody homage) (@GraysonLarry) May 6, 2023
Some thought it might be the late Queen Elizabeth, who’s perhaps not quite dead.
It’s not the Queen preparing to whip off a disguise just as the crown is lowered onto Charles’ head is it..? Surely not… #Coronation pic.twitter.com/5xgeXDl6TF
— FacePalm (@LeeWellsPrime) May 6, 2023
Or Tilda Swinton.
My favourite for that picture was “tilda swinton deep in character”
— Oriane Messina (@orianemessina) May 6, 2023
There were Harry Potter jokes.
Just wait until the polyjuice potion wears off; wot larks!!
— Simon Wickenden (@simon_wickenden) May 6, 2023
And jokes about people planning a heist.
I don’t know much about the #Coronation but I do know this is obviously a disguise and 100% they’re going to try and steal the crown jewels pic.twitter.com/uuchDtfi2S
— Edward DeRuiter (@edwardderuiter) May 6, 2023
While some were joking about Sir Karl Jenkins really being Meghan Markle — while sitting next to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no less — others were busy cracking wise about the antics of one Katy Perry.
(Via NY Post)