Newark and Bingham MP Robert thrilled to have ticket to coronation of KIng Charles III

This week Members of Parliament welcomed the King and Queen to the Palace of Westminster ahead of the Coronation – writes Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick.

As I write this, streets in and around Whitehall and Buckingham Palace are being closed off, soldiers are rehearsing and a sense of excitement is in the air. The council in Westminster has even resurfaced the roads, so something important must be happening!

As a member of Cabinet I am hugely privileged to have a ticket to the big event and will represent our area with enormous pride.

The Coronation is a moment of unity for the country, bringing us all together in a shared experience of pageantry and patriotism. We can all take pleasure in this wonderful, ancient, uniquely British ceremony, which links us to our past. Moments of unity are regrettably too rare, when they occurred they help to emphasise those things that we have in common and the shared heritage and values that make our country so special.

They also create memories that last a lifetime - my Dad tells the story of building a bonfire on his street as a child on the night of the late Queen’s Coronation. It took the council years to fill in the giant pothole he created!

I know many local residents will be watching on TV or at the events across the County such as in Newark or Southwell Minster. Going about the constituency last weekend I saw bunting going up (Langford was a particular favourite) and Royal touches all around (the knitted crown on top of the letterbox in Bingham marketplace was fantastic!). If you join one of the many local events, I hope you have a wonderful day.

I was given two trees last year by the Royal household, one from Balmoral and one from Windsor. I’ve planted one near Balderton Lake and will be planting the other on the green at Car Colston shortly. I’ll enjoy watching them grow in the years ahead, small recognitions of the King (and his mothers) love of nature and the magnificence of the British landscape.

King Charles has made a good start to his reign. Of course the comparison with Queen Elizabeth is a daunting one for any successor, such was the esteem she was held in. On the few occasions I have met him, including accompanying him on two fascinating Royal tours (to Rome in 2019 and Jerusalem in 2020) I found in hard working, unpretentious and good humoured. I’m sure those qualities will stand him and us in good stead. God Save The King!