The first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years is just hours away — and the Union Jack is flying above a San Diego establishment with strong English ties. But not just any Union Jack — this one features a portrait of the man of the hour.
“(We're) super excited. It’s such an historical event that we just can’t wait for it," said Nikki McEwan-Beatty, the general manager of the Shakespeare Pub on India Street.
“We’ll be opening up (Saturday) at 2:30 a.m. and we will be showing the live ceremony and the procession. We’ll stay open until 6:15 a.m. to raise a glass of champagne, as he goes out to the balcony and waves to the crowd for the first time as the official king," McEwan-Beatty said.
She and her team have been busy ramping up the already royal vibe at the pub.
“We have all the bunting up obviously inside and outside ... In the morning we’ll have commemorative plates. We will be decorating everything in red, white and blue, so we’ll be good to go and obviously we have himself here as well, I mean I’m sure there’ll be lots of pictures taken with him in the morning," McEwan-Beatty said.
Next door, the Shakespeare Corner Shoppe and Afternoon Tea has completed their royal ramp-up.
On the deck, unity with the United Kingdom was the order of the day, as patrons enjoyed proper British Tea.
“We made a special scone in his honor — we did a blackberry and fig scone. We made a strawberry and champagne jam. We made Balmoral Oat Cakes in a shout out to his residence in Scotland," said Selina Stockley, the owner of the Shakespeare Corner Shoppe and Afternoon Tea.
On a table in front, there’s plenty of coronation kitsch including tea cups and special coronation stirring spoons.
If you’re not up for getting up in the wee hours of the morning, not to worry — you can still get your British fix at the House of England in Balboa Park. They will be staging a series of celebratory events, including serving tea and scones and it all begins at 11 a.m., Saturday — what the British might call a civilized hour.
