Community gathers in Shaler to watch King Charles III’s coronation

SHALER, Pa. — Royal watchers gathered at the Ruckus Coffee Gallery Café in Shaler to celebrate history across the pond.

Britsburghers toasted to the coronation of his majesty King Charles III, Britain’s first new monarch in 70 decades.

“Very exciting. all the BRITs and anglophiles that follow Britsburgher here today to celebrate and have a little drink,” Robert Charlesworth told Channel 11.

Charlesworth is a native of England who moved to Pittsburgh over a decade ago. He is co-founder of Britsburgh — which hosted this coronation-watch party Saturday morning.

Many dressed in fancy hats and got a picture with life-size cut-outs of King Charles and the Queen Consort.

“Up really early this morning to celebrate and watch it once in a lifetime opportunity. At least my lifetime, I’m 54 years old, and never saw a coronation,” Charlesworth said.

But that’s not the case with Britsburgher, Jonathan Spatz, who remembers the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth which was the first to be televised.

“I saw the first one when I was seven years old in June of 1953 on a little black-and-white TV with a little 10 inch screen with all the neighbors crowded around because they weren’t many TVs in England then,” Spatz said.

But now there are high hopes for her son, King Charles.

“He appears to be getting off on the right foot. He’s trying to protect all sorts of people. And the environment. He’s big into that,” Spatz said.

“70 years in the making of a king. So impressive and deserved after all the great charitable things he does,” Charlesworth said.

Britsburghers are also raising money to plant trees on the north side, in honor of King Charles. If you’d like to donate, click here.

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