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Associated Press
- September 9, 2022 10:21
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Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown all his life. Now, at the age of 73, that moment has come.
Charles, the oldest person ever to inherit the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. A date for his coronation has not yet been set.
After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodies the modernization of the British monarchy. He was the first heir not home-schooled, the first to earn a university degree and the first to grow up in the increasingly intense media spotlight as respect for the royal family waned, the Associated Press writes.
He also alienated many with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by tightening rules that prohibit members of the royal family from meddling in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and conservation. architecture.
"He now finds himself thinking carefully about how he projects his image as a public figure. He is not as popular as his mother," said historian Ed Owens.
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Charles needs to figure out how to generate "public support, a sense of affection" that characterized Elizabeth's relationship with the British public, Owens said.
In other words, will Charles be as beloved by his subjects?
A shy boy with a domineering father, Charles grew into a sometimes awkward, understated man who is nonetheless confident in his opinions. Unlike his mother, who refused to discuss her views publicly, Charles has given speeches and written articles on issues close to his heart, such as climate change, green energy and alternative medicine.
His accession to the throne is likely to fuel debate over the future of Britain's largely ceremonial monarchy, seen by some as a symbol of national unity and by others as an outmoded remnant of feudal history.
"We know the monarch and of course the monarch's family - they should not have political voices. They are not intended to have political opinions," added Owens, who wrote "The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass. The Media and the British Public, 1932-53”.
Charles, who will be head of state for the UK and 14 other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, has defended his actions.
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Will King Charles turn his back on Elizabethan tradition?
In an interview for a 2018 documentary, Charles admitted that as king, he would not be able to speak or intervene in politics because the role of sovereign is different from being the Prince of Wales.
Charles has said he aims to reduce the number of working royals, cut spending and better represent modern Britain.
Biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author of Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Impossible Life, described him as constantly overshadowed by others in the family, despite his fortune.
"I think the disappointments are not so great that he had to cut the throne," said Smith.
"I think his main frustration is that he's done so much and that he's been massively misunderstood. He's caught between two worlds: the world of his mother, revered, now beloved; and Diana, whose ghost still it overshadows him, and then his incredibly charming sons.
It took years for many in Britain to forgive Charles for his betrayal of Diana before the "people's princess" died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. But public opinion softened after he married Camilla Parker Bowles in in 2005 and she became the Duchess of Cornwall.
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Charles III is officially named King of the United Kingdom
Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch, has died in Balmoral, Scotland, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
The Queen ascended the throne in 1952 and has witnessed great social change.
