LONDON – It is easy to dismiss the London coronation of Charles III as just a state-sponsored circus in which the British occasionally indulge, partly to remind themselves that they are still an important country with a long history and partly to boost tourism revenues.

There are all these people with funny names such as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting and her or his deputy, the – you guessed it – Silver-Stick-in-Waiting, as well as the Lord Chamberlain and a variety of other lords and ladies, all walking up and down and sideways in gold-braided gowns, carrying coronation jewellery.