Let's talk Coronation Day!

Okay, before we move on with this week, I feel the need to process the Coronation. I must admit that for the first time I can remember, I didn't have even a small celebration to mark such a grand Royal occasion, but an old friend's daughter had just died of cancer at only 35 years old, and so I just didn't find it appropriate to plan a big gala this year, especially since I was headed out of town for the memorial that evening. (Plus, I didn't get my new book sent off to my editor until late the afternoon of my birthday, so I was a bit wiped out for a lot of reasons last week!) All that said, I did get up in time to watch the event and quietly sip my Coronation Tea (that's the lid above).

I thought it all went off beautifully, and King Charles was probably correct in his reading of the public mood when he decided to scale things back just a bit. Still, "scaled back" is still a grand thing in the UK, and I always say that nobody does pageantry better than those folks. My favorite moment in the whole thing was probably when the king was presented with a Bible and it was described as "the most valuable gift that this world affords." Amen to that! If I had to choose between every tea ware in my home and my Bible, you could take all the tea wares, no contest.

It's always fun to see what the women in particular wear at these Royal events, and this time, I was absolutely smitten with that gorgeous teal outfit worn by Member of Parliament Penny Mordaunt. (I originally typed "tea outfit." Freudian slip?) And did you catch the info from the Twitter post above? "She's Lord President of the Privy Council and one of the two politicians King Charles sees most regularly."

I was so happy to find lots of info on places like the BBC website that explained what she was doing with those ceremonial swords. I also thought there would have to be a real craft to maintaining such a neutral expression on your face for hours on end, and she certainly nailed it.

I didn't do screen grabs of all the other things I noticed, but as I continue to sip my Harney & Sons Coronation Tea, here are my thoughts:

• King Charles looked quite humble, like he couldn't believe all this was for him. Found that touching.

• Queen Camilla's gown sure had some beautiful and meaningful embroidery on it.

• Was happy to see Harry show up and be smiling and looking fairly comfortable.

• Princess Anne became one of my new favorite Royals when her mother died. I didn't realize what a worker bee she is, and she never seems to want to claim the spotlight for herself. Love her.

• The Prince and Princess of Wales (and all of their children) carried out their duties beautifully. I personally would have liked to see a few more shots of Kate, but then it wasn't her day, was it?

• Am also a fan of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and they, too, looked and acted brilliant.

If you watched the Coronation, what were your thoughts? Were you pleased too?