May 13, 1870.
At Qiuweit Palace, beneath brilliant lights, King Constantin completed a simple coronation ceremony and formally proclaimed the establishment of the Kingdom of East Africa before the only two great nobles, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Ferdinand, East African army and navy officers, and East African Central Government officials.
The ceremony itself was simple. European monarchs' coronations bore a heavy religious and cultural influence, but East Africa had none of that. As an African nation, East Africa had no need to follow Europe's old routines for this ceremony.
With no clergy participating in the coronation, East Africa had become a thoroughly secular state from the very moment of its founding.
As for the Church, two months later, Italy's House of Savoy would let the Pope of Rome know exactly what the importance of several divisions meant.
Religion no longer worked so well in this era, especially in East Africa, where followers of all kinds of faiths and even atheists had gathered together. When believers saw that heretics and atheists were living perfectly well, they could not help wondering, What the hell am I still believing for? Perhaps believers still remained, but their devotion was another question entirely.
The ceremonial regalia used for the coronation consisted of the former Principality of Hechingen's crown, scepter, and royal robes.
King Constantin personally placed the crown upon his own head, while traditional German folk music accompanied the coronation.
The crown and scepter had been altered in several details, with large quantities of jewelry and gold used, including East African Sapphire (tanzanite), diamonds, and other jewels distinctive to East Africa.
The East African Kingdom Flag had also been designed. If not for the Hechingen royal crest (Image), it would have looked almost like a replica of the North German Federation's flag.
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The East