King’s Coronation: Moment soldier empties tuba of rain as weather fails to dampen spirits

While the persistent rain failed to dampen the spirits of most involved in the Coronation, it did pose some practical issues for the celebrations. And, for one military musician involved in the procession, the weather caused a rather curious problem. Stood waiting on Whitehall for the newly-crowned King and Queen to begin their journey back to Buckingham Palace, one military tuba player was forced to empty water out of his instrument and onto the ground. Video footage appears to show the man lowering the tuba to the ground and checking inside before upending it, seemingly in a bid to remove any liquid that had fallen inside. His neighbouring musical marchers — a fellow tubist and a tromboner — can be seen smirking at their colleague’s evident concern. Seven dismounted processional processional bands played a total of nine marches as the procession travelled from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. The detachments included members of the RAF, Navy and Army, as well as the Commonwealth and Household Division. The rain was also to blame for a scaled down flypast. Continue reading full article: It was expected that more than 60 aircraft would fly over The Mall in central London when Their Majesties returned to Buckingham Palace and stood with other members of the Royal family on its balcony. However, “unsuitable weather conditions” meant it was cut by two-thirds and only helicopters and the Red Arrows were involved. What should have been a six-minute spectacle only lasted two minutes and 30 seconds, with no Spitfires from the Battle of Britain involved. Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: Get the latest headlines: and are websites of The Telegraph, the UK’s best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.