Royal bottlenecks

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Others have long since retired at his age. But for King Charles, professional life (74) has only just begun since the famous imperial state crown was placed on his head yesterday. And he doesn’t have much time to get used to it: there are several construction sites waiting.

Charles takes over the scepter of the British monarchy in times of climate crisis. His position on this challenging circumstance was evident in his early advocacy for conservation, organic food and the Paris Climate Agreement.
To top it off, a terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport was originally supposed to have been named after the monarch. But according to British press reports, he spoke out against renaming because of “environmental concerns”.

Yesterday, the newly crowned monarch was anointed with vegan oil instead of the traditional anointing oil containing ambergris, a whale secretion. The king would be a perfect climate activist. However, as regent, Charles is committed to political neutrality. He will have to perform a difficult balancing act in the future: if he actually remains silent, he is likely to disappoint many people.

The seemingly eternal crown prince wants to bring the monarchy into the present and hopes to win the hearts of millennials: polls show that less than a third of younger Britons think the monarchy is a suitable form of government for them. And recently, in a poll of six Commonwealth countries, a majority voted to abolish royalties.

Trying to be popular

However, the Windsor dynasty only has a future if the people, the actual sovereign, stand behind it – which also forces Charles to strike a balance between modernization and adherence to tradition. At yesterday’s ceremony, the condescension of dukes was abolished and seats of honor in the pews once reserved for nobles were awarded to social service citizens from former British colonies.

To reflect the diversity of religions in Britain, the procession to Westminster Abbey was led by members of non-Christian denominations. Representatives of the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths helped shape the program.

Charles III recently agreed. even began an investigation of royalty’s historical ties to the transatlantic slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Activists recognized this as a positive step. Meanwhile, the new one on the throne is already referred to as the “Woke” king.

The modernization of the monarchy also includes the careful reduction of pomp and circumstance. Charles III was driven through the streets yesterday in a golden carriage, wore a crown studded with precious stones and ended the festivities with a grand pop concert. Don’t talk money, etiquette books say, but experts estimate the cost of the celebrations is between £50m and £100m, and the fact that British taxpayers have to pay for them doesn’t sit well in the midst of an economic crisis. . The hashtag #NotMyKing has been trending on social media for the past few weeks. But even if there was no lack of glamor yesterday, the newly elected head of state is trying to slim down. He invited 6,000 fewer guests to the ceremony than the Queen invited at her coronation 70 years ago. He also shortened the duration and route of the ensuing procession through central London.

The monarch didn’t change clothes nearly as often as his mother Elizabeth – and Queen Camilla wore a spruced up heirloom rather than a sparkly new crown.

Senseless Church

Anyway, Charles struggles with gossip in his church. As king, he is also the head of all Anglicans. Only: the Church of England is in a deep crisis. Only two per cent of young adults in Britain identify with it and its membership is dwindling fast.

The Anglican Church is also divided on the issue of same-sex marriage. In the future, same-sex couples should be able to be blessed – in February, the General Synod, a kind of church parliament, voted in favor after hours of debate in London. However, the church still does not want same-sex couples to marry. Late last year, British clergy banned 60-year-old Mpho Tutu van Furth from conducting a funeral service because the priestess, daughter of South African anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, is married to a woman.

The conflicts in the Windsor family also do not seem to want to stabilize. Prince Harry (38) appeared next to the royal family for the first time last weekend since he dealt with his family in his autobiography.

However, Harry was not invited to the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, where his family had lined up on the balcony. Meghan, his wife, stayed in Los Angeles (USA) and organized her own party there: May 6 was also her son Archie’s fourth birthday. Insiders of the palace told the British press: “Charles is very disappointed that he will not see Meghan (41) or his grandchildren.”

Two other family members could not be missing from his thoughts yesterday: Lord Louis Mountbatten († 79) was the mentor of the British monarch. As a prince, he liked to seek the advice of the Lord, affectionately calling him “Uncle Dickie”. As the last Viceroy of India, Mountbatten was responsible for the transition of the formerly largest and most important colony to independence. He died in 1979 in an IRA attack in Mullaghmore Bay, Ireland. The former British chief of staff had set sail in his fishing boat when it suddenly exploded in a huge fireball.

Elizabeth II (1926-2022) repeatedly praised her son Charles as a role model for “selfless fulfillment of duty”. She could also inspire him with regard to the modernization of the royal family: despite much resistance, the queen led the monarchy into the TV era.

Source: Blick