Death of Queen Elizabeth II: Charles III's 5 Challenges as King
Charles III is the oldest person to be proclaimed King in Great Britain
In theory, few transitions are as smooth as a succession of the British monarchy: less than 48 hours after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III was officially proclaimed the new sovereign of the United Kingdom.
But things are not so simple: Charles ascended the throne at a challenging time for the country and the royal family. Historians interviewed by the BBC believe the new king faces "unprecedented challenges" that will define - for better or worse - his reign and those to follow.
Charles will face many tests: from dealing with the impact the energy crisis is having on the country, to facing the changing perception of the monarchy after his late mother's rule over 70 years.
Here are some of the main issues that may need the new king's attention.
A 'down to earth' monarchy?
Millions of families in Britain face a potential fuel shortage this winter due to soaring fossil fuel prices triggered by the war in Ukraine. The most pessimistic forecasts say that up to 45 million people will find it difficult to pay their bills – that is, two-thirds of the country's population.
This scenario will likely put the royal family's finances under more scrutiny than usual. Indeed, even before the war, there were rumors in the British press that the then Prince of Wales was willing to lessen the pomp and circumstance of royal occasions — which includes his coronation, which is due to take place after June 2023 (after a period of mourning the death of the queen).
Britain's Daily Telegraph speculated on 13 September that the event will differ from the late Queen's lavish coronation in 1953 — which was the first televised ceremony of its kind.
Citing sources close to the royal family, the paper said Charles III's coronation would be shorter, "less expensive" and, crucially, more multicultural, to reflect the diversity of British society.
Charles has previously spoken of his desire to have a lean monarchy — which will likely translate into a smaller group of "active members" of royalty, centered on King and Queen consort Camilla, Prince William and his wife Kate.
"It's quite likely that we'll see things scale back, especially the coronation," historian Kelly Swab, an expert on British royalty, told the BBC. "The royal family needs to pay attention to what is happening in the country in these difficult times."
The royal family's finances are a complex subject that is often at the heart of anti-monarchy arguments: the money comes primarily from a taxpayer-funded annual payment known as a "sovereign subsidy."
For 2021-2022, this subsidy has been set at US$99.8 million (R$511.6 million) — equivalent to US$1.49 (R$7.77) per person in the UK, but this does not include the high security costs for members of the royal family.
declining reputation
Support for the monarchy is at its lowest point in more than 30 years, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, a survey that regularly measures the sentiments of a sample of the British population towards royalty.
The latest edition of the poll, published in 2021, showed that 55% of Britons thought it was "very important" or "quite important" to have a monarchy. In previous decades, this support fluctuated between 60% and 70%.In May of this year, Charles appeared third on the list of people's favorite royals, behind the Queen and her eldest son Prince William. While polls after Elizabeth II's death have shown growing support for the new king, there are signs that Charles has work to do to improve the royal family's reputation.
"One of the challenges for the king is to make the monarchy attractive to younger generations," says historian Richard Fitzwilliams.
Fitzwilliams' opinion is in line with the British Social Attitudes Survey, which shows that in 2021 only 14% of people aged between 18 and 34 considered it "very important" for the UK to have a monarchy, while the proportion among those over 55 was of 44%.
And according to a YouGov poll conducted for the anti-monarchy group Republic, 27% of the population supports the abolition of the monarchy outright.
It is a relevant increase if we consider that the norm during the last decades was 15% support for the total abolition of the monarchy. And considerably greater dissatisfaction is registered among the younger generations.
Kelly Swab also points out that "things have changed a lot since 1952" (the year Elizabeth II became queen). She specifically refers to the sporadic protests against the monarchy that have taken place in recent days.
"There's less deference to the monarchy these days and a lot more scrutiny from the royal family," she says. "This is something King Charles needs to keep in mind."
'Never complain, never explain'
King Charles III is the head of state in the United Kingdom. But under the British constitutional monarchy model, the sovereign's powers are mostly symbolic and ceremonial. Thus, members of the royal family are expected to remain politically neutral.
The late queen's measured stance was seen by many as a result of her belief in the saying "never complain, never explain".
In the past, Charles used to express himself on different subjects that he considered important. In 2015, it was revealed that he had written dozens of letters to government ministers expressing concerns about issues ranging from herbal medicine to the public budget and the Armed Forces.
The king must remain politically neutral in the model of the British constitutional monarchy
Will his posture change? Constitutionalist Vernon Bogdanor believes so.
"He has known since he was young that his style will have to change. The public is not going to want a militant monarch," says Bogdanor.
On September 12, when addressing the members of Parliament, the newly proclaimed king was already showing signs of a change to become more politically neutral. As well as acknowledging that there were personal interests he would have to give up, Charles said that Parliament was "the living and breathing instrument" of British democracy.
Commonwealth: the colonial legacy
After his mother's death, Charles became the head of the Commonwealth, a political association of 56 countries, mostly former British colonies. He is also the head of state for 14 countries in addition to the United Kingdom — a list that includes Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand.
In recent years, however, some Commonwealth nations have begun to debate their relationship to the British crown. As part of that process, Barbados made the decision to become a republic in late 2021, which removed the late Queen as the country's head of state. Located in the Caribbean, the island has suffered centuries of British influence and has been a center for the transatlantic slave trade for over 200 years.
The UK's colonial legacy puts the monarchy under scrutiny
Prince William's trip to the Caribbean in early 2022 spurred anti-colonial protests and calls for redress for slavery in the region. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has publicly told the royals that the country is "moving forward".
Sean Coughlan, the BBC's royal correspondent, believes redefining a more modern relationship with the Commonwealth will be "a great challenge" for King Charles.
"On his visits to Commonwealth countries, Charles will be challenged to navigate the difficult legacy of colonialism and issues such as slavery."
A "veteran" king
At age 73, Charles III is the oldest person ever to be proclaimed King in Great Britain. One of the questions about his day-to-day reign is how much of the long list of royal duties he will be able to fulfill himself.
There is much speculation that her son and heir to the crown, Prince William, will share the burden of royal engagements, especially overseas travel. Queen Elizabeth II herself stopped traveling abroad at age eighty.
"Charles is an old king. He can't do everything," says historian Kelly Swab. "I think the consequence of this will be that we will see a lot more of Prince William."
Prince William is expected to take on part of the royal engagements
Stand up to the queen
As made clear by the outpourings of grief across the country after her death, Elizabeth II was an extremely popular monarch.
That in itself is a challenge for the new king — but not insurmountable and not unheard of, according to royal historian Evaline Brueton.
She claims that King Edward VII experienced the same situation when he inherited the crown in 1901, after the death of Queen Victoria, another very popular and long-lived monarch.
"There are interesting similarities between where we are now and the end of the Victorian era," says Brueton. "Both Edward 7th and Charles 3rd came to power in periods of social change in Britain. And both were not as popular as their mothers."
Edward 7th was in power for only nine years (1901–1910) but is fondly remembered as a king who became involved in diplomatic efforts that laid the foundation for the famous Entente Cordiale , a series of agreements between the United Kingdom and France. signed in 1904.
"Edward 7th did extremely well and there is nothing to suggest that Charles will not be remembered as an equally important king," says Brueton.
"He had Queen Elizabeth II as a great role model and had time to prepare for the task."
No comments:
Post a Comment