With King Charles III set to be formally crowned on May 6, school boards across the country contacted by The Canadian Press said they had no special plans or dedicated curriculum to mark the occasion -- yet another indication of widening apathy towards the monarchy.
Munro, a retired former history professor at the University of Alberta, recalled the crepe paper robe -- complete with cotton balls and bunting -- that he wore as a seven-year-old when cast as the incoming queen's husband, Prince Philip, for the performance at his school in Longlac, Ont.
Observers say that, beyond the apparent lack of pomp, there is a larger issue with Canadian schools' muted approach to the upcoming coronation. "It's a chance to talk about all kinds of things, like colonial structures, Crown-Indigenous relationships, what the Crown does here in this country," he said.Munro said 70 years ago, students would have been hard-pressed to avoid talking about the monarchy.
After listening to the ceremony on the radio, "we went over to the schoolyard where the ceremony was taking place, and we sang and danced and had speeches from local dignitaries," he said. She said the board's records indicate "school closures were a tradition in York County for the coronation of a British monarch," throughout the 20th Century. Students "were expected to participate" in the festivities, Mitchell said.
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