A Coronation Attendee Explains Why His Seats Were So ‘Frustrating’ While King Charles Was Being Crowned

King Charles III and Queen Camilla on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Neil Mockford/Getty Images)

While attending King Charles’ coronation must have been a big honor, for some guests, the seating arrangements weren't exactly ideal. Even though many viewers who tuned in to the ceremony on the 2023 TV schedule had a great vantage point from their couch of the historic event, for Mike Tindall, who was in Westminster Abbey for the event, his view was a bit “frustrating.” 

Now that the big coronation has come and gone, Mike Tindall, a rugby player who is married to Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, explained the seating situation on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby (via Page Six), saying:  

It was unbelievable to be sat where we were.

The couple sat in the fourth row at the ceremony, behind Prince Harry, who was there without Meghan Markle (she was in California with their kids), Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. He continued to explain why their seats were less than ideal, saying that they had an obstructed view of the coronation. Tindall said:  

Quite frustrating that you couldn’t see around the corner, but you had the TV there, and obviously everything that went on sort of [in the] back and front.

Tindall continued, saying that where they were sat was around the corner from where King Charles was being crowned, he explained:

You’re in the hottest spot, but it was all happening just around the corner of the wall that you can’t see!

While he had some complaints about the coronation itself, Tindall said that he was honored to be there, and recalled one moment that really blew him away:

It’s one of those moments. I think the best bit of the day was the six and a half hours of military footmen that were in the Buckingham Palace backyard, and they did three cheers for the king. It was like, whoa, goose pimples.

While Mike Tindall was trying to watch the coronation, those of us viewing the events from our homes couldn’t help but have a blast seeing all the funny moments from the event. For example, Prince Louis looking bored from the front row as well as Katy Perry blocking views with her hat and not being to find her seat were really funny highlights.

On a more serious note, the King’s coronation was a massive deal for the UK, and it makes sense that Tindall was a bit flustered about having trouble seeing what exactly was going on during this historic event. There was a mass amount of coverage about King Charles' big day, from alleged drama about Prince Harry’s attendance plans, and his quick exit, to historic events like Penny Mordaunt being the first woman to perform the sword exchange during the coronation. Overall, this was a major moment, however, for some of those in attendance, they had to crane their heads a bit more than others to actually see it. 

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.