MOOSE JAW — A member of 15 Wing Air Base has been recognized for participating in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III that saw him march past the new monarch with other military personnel.
Cpl. Felix-Antoine Beaulieu, a Quebec City-born resident who works at the base as an aerospace control operator, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal during the military venue’s recent honours and awards ceremony. The award marks the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which occurred on May 6, 2023.
While Canada is issuing its own medals, the one Beaulieu received is from the British government. The British and Canadian medals are both made of nickel silver and have identical ribbons. However, the two medal designs differ.
The British medal features effigies of the King and Queen, while the Canadian medal only features the King. On the reverse, the British medal has laurels, the royal cypher, and the Tudor Crown, whereas the Canadian medal displays the royal cypher with the Canadian Royal Crown over a sunburst design.
“That was a really nice boost for me because the honour of receiving the medal was so great to be able to represent Canada on the main (world) stage … ,” Beaulieu said.
The corporal attended the coronation ceremony with 45 other Canadian servicemen, who were part of a larger group of personnel from more than 50 countries in the British Commonwealth. That party, in turn, then marched with thousands of other members of the British military.
This was Beaulieu’s first time being in Europe, which meant it was also his first time visiting Buckingham Palace, the King’s London-based home. He thought visiting the United Kingdom was “a (nice) change of scenery” while he thought it was “the greatest honour” to participate in something historic.
All members of the Commonwealth party were stationed at a base in Birmingham for two weeks, where they trained daily for the ceremony. On Coronation Day, they took the Tube to London and then marched to Buckingham Palace, before trooping down the street to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
Two hours later, the King and Queen appeared in a golden royal coach pulled by horses, which prompted music to play, canons to boom and the military personnel to march back to the Palace.
“He was right behind us, so we were leading him,” said Beaulieu. “I personally did (see him) when he was in front of Buckingham Palace because we were all standing in front of him in the back gardens.
“So there were … thousands and thousands of soldiers. And then that’s when we gave the ‘Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray!’ … that was definitely the one I felt the most emotion in the moment.”
While taking in the emotionally charged moment, Beaulieu thought that it was historically significant to see Canada’s new monarch in the flesh and that he was thrilled to be there with the other Canadians.
After the coronation, a bus drove the Canucks to Canada House, where the High Commission of Canada is based, and met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, High Commissioner Ralph Goodale and other dignitaries. The dignitaries gave several speeches in which they thanked the members for representing the country and conducting themselves with professional and respect.
A day after the coronation, Windsor Castle hosted a big concert for the Commonwealth members that featured singer Katy Perry. Normally that venue is closed to the public, but the Crown thought it would be appropriate to open it to thank the personnel.
“We were really, really well welcomed by the British and I really enjoyed working with them and I hope that I can work with them in the future also,” Beaulieu added.
