11-Year-Old's Alleged Critique Of King Charles's Coronation Divides Twitter For All The Wrong Reasons

Valid points about the cost of living crisis are being overlooked.
The cost of King Charles III's coronation has raised eyebrows everywhere
The cost of King Charles III's coronation has raised eyebrows everywhere
UK Press Pool via Getty Images

An 11-year-old’s supposed critique of King Charles’s coronation (and its substantial cost) has divided Twitter.

The row stems not from the arguments Jen Watkinson, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, made about the bill for the ornate affair, but from the age attached to the comment sent into the Guardian.

What was a point about the cost of the monarch’s coronation – said to be up to £100 million – has been twisted into a question about whether or not an 11-year-old was really capable of writing such feedback.

The message began: “I would like to share my views on the disruption and cost of the King’s coronation.

“My friends and I had our Sats delayed – along with every other year 6 pupil living in England – due to the bank holiday on Monday.

“Did anybody consider the thousands of children whose anxiety would worsen with the interruption?

“Furthermore, I would like to address the amount of money that was used for what was predominantly a party. I have read that up to £100m was spent on the coronation.

“All that money could have been given to food banks across the UK; each would have received about £40,000.”

This sum is based on the fact that there are 2,500 food banks across the UK.

The comment concluded: “Would that not have been a better way to celebrate our new King?”

The comment was shared on the newspaper’s website on Tuesday 9 May, but it really took off when a Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik tweeted a screenshot of it. By Friday, it had more than 1.8 million views.

That’s right Jen (age 11)! pic.twitter.com/ROsyVyKGph

— Nesrine Malik (@NesrineMalik) May 10, 2023

And it wasn’t long until people were questioning the validity of the comment, although plenty of people came out batting for Jen too:

I'm very concerned at the number of people that don't think an eleven year old could have written this. 😕

— .•kristina•. (@EloquentFury) May 10, 2023

You’d be surprised how articulate some young children are, the vocabulary here doesn’t surprise me. It’s singular focus also fits with this age group.

— Kim Meredith (@kim_meredith) May 11, 2023

Perfectly plausible a smart 11 year old would write this. The issue with it is the well worn argument that government funds should be better prioritised for meeting basic services. Set in black/white terms it allows no scope for any tax spend on culture, even the bits you like.

— David (@Anapecalleddave) May 11, 2023

This was 100% written by an 11 year old lol not sure why people are saying otherwise. This is how 11 year olds who learn a new word everyday and want to use it write https://t.co/pU25YDtpUo

— queen charlotte’s wig (@chanellxo2) May 12, 2023

Hilarious that the people who choose to make their voices heard on twitter in 280 characters,can’t believe that an 11 year old can write such a letter.
I teach 11yr olds,they can do this and much more.

— Helen (@Hel3nrose) May 10, 2023

You’ve clearly never met a smart 11 year old 😭I would’ve written this in school thinking I really ate with that “furthermore” https://t.co/g9zJC3S4Fy

— L. (@lameeday) May 12, 2023

“How can an 11 year old write this” - this is what happens when a good chunk of the population refuse to read https://t.co/ukXkX8vX5p

— The Givenchy Code (@slagasis) May 12, 2023

Regardless of the real author of the note, it’s worth remembering that the government has refused to comment on the expected total cost of the coronation, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Ahead of the event, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Given the coronation is a national state occasion, funding sources will include the sovereign grant and the UK government.”

However, 51% of respondents in a YouGov poll said they did not think the government should be using the public purse to pay for the event.

Labour’s Richard Burgon called for a debate in the Commons on the amount of public money spent on the event ahead of the coronation.

Meanwhile, Graham Smith, the leader of the anti-monarchy group, Republic, told the Evening Standard: “Charles is already King.

“There is absolutely no need to go through with this expensive pantomime.

“At a cost of tens of millions of pounds, this pointless piece of theatre is a slap in the face for millions of people struggling with the cost of living crisis.”

He organised an anti-monarchy protest on the day of the coronation, only to be arrested two hours before the King was due to arrive at Westminster Abbey.

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