Chapter 58: Edward's Coronation Ceremony
The conversation with Wilhelm II went smoothly. Not only was Germany's financial aid to Australia secured, but a rough agreement was also reached regarding industrial support and potential wartime assistance.
At least in Wilhelm II's view, he had successfully tied Australia to Germany's war chariot, and Germany would have one more ally in the coming conflict.
Arthur and Wilhelm II agreed that the visit to Germany would take place around mid-December.
If discussions went well, Arthur could enjoy a pleasant Christmas in Germany before returning to Australia.
However, before heading to Germany, there was still one slightly more important matter to settle: the aid agreement with Britain.
Though Britain would certainly not be as generous as Germany, to Arthur, free aid—no matter how limited—was always worth accepting. The more, the better.
Besides, German and British aid were not mutually exclusive. Both were industrial powerhouses, with Germany leaning toward land equipment and Britain excelling in naval and shipbuilding technologies. Each held world-leading advancements that Australia could study and absorb.
After parting ways with Wilhelm II, Arthur returned to Buckingham Palace and convened a meeting with key members of the diplomatic delegation in his office.
Fortunately, Buckingham Palace was spacious, and each royal member had a large room. Not only did Arthur have his own reception hall and meeting room, but they were also large enough to comfortably accommodate a dozen people.
The focus of this meeting was to finalize the areas in which British support would be most needed. After securing German aid, many technologies and industries no longer required British assistance.
It wasn't that Germany's technology was necessarily superior in every field—it was simply wasteful and inefficient to allocate limited support to overlapping sectors.
Australia was in a golden stage of development, and Arthur would not tolerate wasting precious resources and opportunities due to negligence.
The meeting lasted several hours, and in the end, the delegation decided that British support should focus on shipbuilding.
This was the natural conclusion. Compared to Germany's industrial strength, Britain's clear advantage lay in shipbuilding and naval technology.
Britain remained the world leader in naval shipbuilding, and that was unlikely to change in the near future.
The diplomatic delegation unanimously agreed that allocating British resources to naval construction—especially warships—was the most logical and effective choice.
Although Australia occupied an entire continent, it was essentially a massive island nation with vast overseas territories and holdings.
This meant that Australia required a powerful navy to protect its territories and spheres of influence abroad.
For a non-continental nation like Australia, naval strength was often more critical than land forces. Coastal security was the first line of national defense.
Arthur already owned a shipyard built with advanced British shipbuilding technology.
Though it was a small-scale yard capable of building only limited types of warships, its techniques were based on relatively modern British practices.
If they could introduce and absorb more advanced technologies—especially those for building medium and large warships—Australia's navy might finally begin to rise.
As for purchasing ships from the European powers, there were two main problems. First, ordered warships were extremely expensive, often costing twice their production price. Second, Arthur was well aware of the situation with Turkey. Amid the naval arms race in Europe, ordering foreign warships risked complications and delays.
The best solution was to master shipbuilding domestically. Even if it required sacrifices, Arthur and the delegation believed it was worth it.
With their goals clarified, the delegation's next tasks became simpler: build good relations with British political figures, acquire a few small newspapers, and fast-track publications that would boost the image of Arthur and Australians in British public opinion.
Though this task appeared urgent, it was actually quite easy to accomplish.
With royal British lineage, a tragic personal story, Queen Victoria's final will, and the public sentiment still lingering after her funeral, Arthur was already quite well-known and widely admired in Britain.
Thanks to the delegation's efforts, Edward VII's coronation soon arrived.
On December 6, 1900, the coronation ceremony of King Edward VII officially began.
In contrast to the somber atmosphere of Queen Victoria's funeral a week earlier, London had regained its festive spirit. The white mourning colors had vanished, as if none of it had ever happened.
To show respect for the late queen, Edward VII's coronation was modest and lasted only around two hours.
This was simpler than Queen Victoria's coronation had been—though Britain was now indisputably the most powerful nation in the world.
Even so, Edward's restraint was well received by the British public.
After all, Queen Victoria still held a special place in their hearts. A grandiose coronation would not have felt appropriate so soon after her passing.
The ceremony was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest-ranking figure in the Church of England.
Traditionally, royal weddings, baptisms, and funerals were all officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Only in his absence would another bishop take over—a rare occurrence.
Every step of the coronation was carried out according to a red ceremonial manual kept at Westminster Abbey, a document that had never been made public in nearly a thousand years.
Once the grand ceremony concluded, royal musicians played celebratory music. Edward VII then rode a gilded carriage back to Buckingham Palace amid cheers from the crowd.
Though fewer spectators lined the roads than during the queen's funeral, it was still a bustling scene.
Edward VII waved cheerfully to the people, making his way to Buckingham Palace amid waves of applause.
As the ruler of the most powerful country on earth, the coronation of the British monarch still drew large crowds of onlookers.
Had it not been so soon after the queen's funeral, even more people would have come to witness the event.
(End of Chapter)
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