As part of their Coronation coverage, the BBC interviewed Professor David Olusoga, who appeared as a talking head on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary series and has been openly critical of the UK’s colonialist past.
The professor, who teaches at the University of Manchester, told the broadcaster that King Charles may struggle to modernize the royals and the question of monarchy is “up for discussion”, although he wished the King well in his reign.
Since his ascension to the throne, Charles has made clear his desire for the monarchy to reflect today’s society, although his lavish Coronation still incorporated many traditional elements.
Mr Olusoga told the BBC: “Now a new reign formally begins, lots of questions about the monarchy and his role are up for discussion as they always are and always have been. There’s only so much you can modernize a thousand-year-old ceremony without it stopping being that ceremony.
“To an extent, you can’t modernize the monarchy because it is a monarchy. That hereditary principle is one that many people will never be comfortable with but the majority of our fellow citizens in 2023 are comfortable with this being the way we choose a head of state. They revel in the ceremonies and the tradition.
“I’d like to think that he’ll find ways of modernizing the Royal Family but I do think it’s a challenge.”
He added that he wished the King well in his endeavours to modernize the institution, admitting that after a year with three Prime Ministers, the republican movement had not made “the best case” for an alternative.
