As the eldest son of Queen
Elizabeth II, Charles has spent a lifetime preparing to reign, but now the
73-year-old is taking on his greatest role to date at a moment of enormous
personal loss. As the world mourns Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles
III and his family are grieving for their beloved “Mummy”,
“Granny” and “Gan Gan”.
“The death of my
beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for
me and all members of my family,’ he said soon after the announcement of her
death on 8 September. But amid the flurry of his proclamation as King, his
first meetings with the Privy Council, Commonwealth leaders and senior clergy,
and a whirlwind tour of the UK, he will have little time to reflect on his
bereavement so he will be grateful to have his “darling” wife and new
Queen Consort Camilla at his side to support him, along with his wider family,
as –emulating his mother’s extraordinary dedication to duty – the new King gets
straight to work.
King Charles III will be
the 13th British monarch since the Act of Union and 41st English ruler since
William the Conqueror, but His Majesty’s accession comes at a time of seismic
change for the UK, the vast majority of whose citizens have only ever known one
monarch – and the change may sit uncomfortably with some.
The breakdown of his marriage
to Princess Diana still casts a shadow for some of his critics and accusations
of “meddling” in politics have been levelled against him. Unlike the Queen, who
was inscrutable to the end, we know a great deal about what drives her son.
As heir to the throne, he was criticized
for being outspoken on topics such as GM crops, architecture, and alternative
medicine, although he has argued that he always tried to avoid partisan
politics. But on many issues, he has proven to be ahead of his time.
More than 50 years of
campaigning on climate change and sustainability positioned him as a respected
authority on both topics. Those who know him paint a picture of a man who cares
deeply about people and the issues they are facing, and about his own impact on
the world.
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| charles-kingCharles will now be known as King Charles III |
But all that will change now
the destiny mapped out for him at birth has come to pass, and he has long
understood that his new role is vastly different. As he said himself in
2018: “If you become the sovereign then you play the role in the way that
it is expected… Clearly, I won’t be able to do the same things I’ve done as
heir.”
While the Queen’s passing has
come as a shock for many, despite her remarkable age, for King Charles, the
transition has been more gradual. In her final years, he increasingly took on the greater state and ceremonial duties to support her, as well as deftly deploying
the royal family’s valuable soft power on the global stage.
In recent years he took
responsibility for voicing the royal family’s regret over “abhorrent” slavery
and continued to “listen and learn” from indigenous and marginalized
communities. This approach is now more important than ever as he succeeds his
mother as Head of the Commonwealth.
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| charles-camillaHe will be supported by his Queen Consort |
Indeed, the Commonwealth has
never had more members than it does now: 56 compared to just eight when the
Queen was crowned.
King Charles and Queen
Camilla are now arguably the UK’s most important ambassadors and will
continue to fly the flag on overseas visits. Developing technology has also allowed
the new monarch to forge strong relationships with world leaders over the past
few years in preparation for his role.
At home, he is determined to modernize
the monarchy and will begin by basing himself in an apartment at
Buckingham Palace as he prepares to make the historic landmark and other
royal residences more accessible to the public. He has vowed to be a “defender
of faith” as monarch, acknowledging the diverse cultural makeup of his Kingdom.
And his coronation, which will
take place within months, will be a scaled-back affair compared to the last
one, but witnessed by people representing all corners of the UK and its realms.
The Duke and Duchess of
Sussex’s move to the US and the Duke of York’s departure from public life mean
the pool of senior working royals supporting him is depleted, but King Charles
has always planned to work within a slimmed-down institution.
Despite the many challenges he
faces, he will be hoping the public will be inspired to back him by the words
of his mother, who prepared the way for his reign in February 2022, saying:
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you
will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given
me.”
His reign can never
compare in length to the extraordinary second Elizabethan era, but it will
constitute an important chapter in our country’s history and those many years
of preparation make him more than ready to take on the most important role of
his life.
