Originally published at: Grim Reaper spotted at Westminster Abbey in video from King Charles's coronation | Boing Boing
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I think this entire coronation was a beautiful display… of how backward and idiotic the whole institution is. Without the glamour and personability of Elizabeth, all most people saw was an untrustworthy and unlikeable old white man bathed in the gold and jewels of millions of conquered people. At one point I was looking at the crown (because you couldn’t even read the damn news without having this atavistic ritual thrown in your face) and wondering how likely it was that one or more of the emeralds came from the Musk family mines.
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I read some commentary over the weekend about how the coronation of Elizabeth back in the '50s was symbolic of optimism with a new, young, energetic queen and that now it’s just a couple of tired old geezers and it just seems excessive and gratuitous.
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Disney should be concerned, although it would take a lot of reaping to nullify their DeSantos-butt-kicking.
So was he actually dressed as the reaper, or just some other cloaked outfit. It was hard to make out if he actually had a scythe or not.
Or is this part of the tradition where there is a subtle reminder that death comes for us all?
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It seems that Errol Musk was part-owner of an emerald mine in Zambia from 1980-something to 1980-something, so the answer is not very likely.
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The few pictures and whatnot I’ve seen from it show Charles looking either bored or annoyed. Considering he’s generally unliked, I’m sure all this pomp and circumstance won’t help his public image one bit.
I watched the Frankie Boyle special instead.
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Yeah, he wouldn’t have been an owner at the time, but Zambia was an English colony, so it makes me wonder if the emeralds originated there. I’m sure some royal fetus just has written a book detailing exactly where every single jewel came from along with some exotic story that somehow exonerates them from the theft and murder each one represents.
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even a dim-eyed old dim-wit can see there’s no scythe on that “scythe” (just some sort of rod/ferula/staff thingy)
anyway… twas merely a idle verger:
Westminster Abbey has identified the figure as a verger – a member of the abbey community who helps during religious services but is not a member of the clergy.
“verger” from verge (“one who carries a verge as an officer of the church,” c. 1400):
verge (n.) “edge, rim,” mid-15c., from Old French verge “twig, branch; measuring rod; penis; rod or wand of office” (12c.), hence, from the last sense, “scope, territory dominated” (as in estre suz la verge de “be under the authority of”), from Latin virga “shoot, rod, stick, slender green branch,” of unknown origin.
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I saw that chair he sat on a few weeks go in the church … it looked absolutely trashed, the wood was broken and old, I didn’t think it was good for sitting on. As a near-holy relic I expected that to be kept in better shape, considering it’s duty.
He’s my King now, so gotta roll with it and hope he does a good job.
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It wasn’t always treated so reverently.
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I give it 6 months.
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Well, I didn’t vote for him.
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You don’t vote for kings!
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How’d he become king, then?
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The usual method, I suppose. Failing to predecease your parent. Though, it was a close run thing.
Cool, another bank holiday around November-December time? 
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I thought it was just a Somerset Maugham fan. JK didn’t watch, was trying to find some ‘real news’ and getting frustrated.
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It’s modern architecture looking for revenge!
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Now that’s an excellent band name!
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