Newshub Europe correspondent Lisette Reymer, 28, tells the Weekly from her flat in London's East End why reporting on the King's coronation was unforgettable.
Lisette, tell us about the vibe in London on coronation day.
It was such an amazing mix that was somewhere between the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and her funeral. The gravity of how many times have we witnessed this and how many times will we? But then it had the celebration aspect. We started the day outside Westminster Abbey, before heading down to The Mall with everybody running to see the King and Queen come out on the balcony once the barriers came down. That was the coolest thing to see… everyone sprinting a mile long in the rain to get underneath the balcony. It actually felt a bit like a fairy tale. All this excitement, everyone was singing and chanting, all dressed up. And then Charles and Camilla came out on the balcony and the Red Arrows [flypast] came over. Spectacular!
And what was Windsor like for the Coronation Concert?
That was joy in abundance. It was an excuse for everybody to have a big party. Windsor was like a festival, it actually reminded me of Glastonbury – very muddy, everyone was in gumboots, crazy outfits
and ready for a good time. In the Abbey, King Charles was very solemn, focused and reverent, but at the concert, he was smiling and dancing – it was hilarious. He got up during Lionel Richie singing All Night Long and waved his little British flag. I didn't sleep that night and I couldn't get that song out of my head either!
and ready for a good time. In the Abbey, King Charles was very solemn, focused and reverent, but at the concert, he was smiling and dancing – it was hilarious. He got up during Lionel Richie singing All Night Long and waved his little British flag. I didn't sleep that night and I couldn't get that song out of my head either!
What was your personal highlight from behind-the-scenes?
Honestly, all I can think of are the things that went wrong but had us laughing. I had a bird poo on me, right down the front of my dress, before a live cross. Then I must have moved quickly and disconnected the earpiece wire – which I had put down my back – from my phone. All I could hear was Katy Perry playing really loudly and my phone was on speaker playing the AM show. I could hear Ryan Bridge reading my intro and I was like "What am I going to do?", so I pulled up my dress and flashed all of Windsor – potentially all of New Zealand as well – and yanked my phone out and did the five-minute cross pretty much not hearing anything. It was so bad. This family sitting next to me at the park having a picnic thought I was better entertainment than the concert! They asked me, "Where are you from?" and I said "Australia."
Did you dress up in coronation merchandise?
I dressed up like a mad-woman! My three-year-old niece in Hamilton has always been obsessed with the Queen, and now she's got really into the King. She made a crown which she wore around the house all of coronation week. She watched all my live crosses and thought I lived at Buckingham Palace. Because her name is Mariette, when she heard me talking about Māori and the Crown, she thought I was saying "Mariette's Crown". She was at home losing her mind, getting so excited. I've sent her my merch from that cross so she can dress up in it.
You've spent a lot of time reporting from the frontline in Ukraine. Are you heading back soon?
I'm watching what's happening and how it's going to play out. The "spring offensive" is much talked about and has already kind of started, but the details are being kept largely under wraps.
What it was like experiencing tear gas for the first time in the riots recently in France?
It's vicious stuff. We had big gas masks on and still it was getting through. My tears lasted for three minutes, but it was actually my throat that was bad for weeks. Both the police and the protestors were so full-on and all over a retirement age.
And you've been to Turkey twice this year too...
Yes, the first time was just after the Turkey earthquake and then before Anzac Day, we went back to the worst-hit areas and did a follow-up story. The second trip there was harder – going back and seeing it all still so, so devastated. No progress had been made, there's no help coming, there's no media there any more and everyone was forgotten. There's just no hope. There are cities that are bigger than Christchurch and they're not going to rebuild them because they're considered small-fry. And people living in tents for the rest of their lives. It was really hard to cover. But also, I got to see really amazing moments of some rescues where I've never felt that way ever in my life. It was like witnessing a miracle, seeing people being pulled out seven to 10 days after the earthquake.
