The King’s Coronation was given Mancunian approval on Saturday as many turned out to watch the Piccadilly Gardens live screening and join the festivities.
Though the sky was overcast for much of the day and the heavens did occasionally open, plenty still made their way into the city centre to celebrate the beginning of the new King’s reign.
While many viewers were locals, others had come from further afield, with Ukraine, Japan and Turkey just some of the countries represented.
Eray Buyrukcu, a Turkish nuclear engineer who lives in Liverpool, said: “I want to be here because there are lots of people here together to celebrate the coronation.
“The coronation is really important to me because how many monarchies are there in the world? So I feel myself so lucky being here especially and also, you know – 70 years later a new coronation is really important for me and I feel lucky to be here.”
It was a family affair, with children and parents alike wearing face-paint and dressed in union flags, hats and the occasional crown, too.
As the King was crowned and Piccadilly Gardens broke into applause, what was undoubtedly a day to be remembered by all concluded with a shout of “God save the King!” and a cheer, and the Manchester crowd dispersed to enjoy the rest of their bank holiday weekend, perhaps contemplating what the new Carolean age would mean for them.
