On Monday of this week, the King and Queen Consort left Birkhall, near Balmoral, to return to public engagements and duties, following the end of national and court mourning and private time to recover. In just over three weeks, everything in royal life has changed.
Recently, the Palace released photographs of the King reviewing the contents of his red boxes, a duty that he will now perform every working day for the rest of his life, as the late Queen did to the very end. He will now be reviewing government documents that need approval, cables from diplomatic missions around the world, and updates and papers from Commonwealth realms, like Canada.
The King will be returning to London in the days ahead to a very full inbox of issues and the complete refashioning of the monarchy as the Carolean age of Charles III begins in earnest.
Among many issues occupying the King’s attention will be deteriorating economic conditions political instability and disunity -- particularly in the U.K., along with worldwide inflationary pressures, the possibility of a widening war in Europe, energy shortages and environmental disasters that touch not just the U.K. but all the realms of which he is Sovereign. These issues will impact the priorities of the monarchy in the first year of the reign.
HOW KING'S STATEMENT DIFFERS FROM THOSE OF THE LATE QUEEN
Tragic and unplanned-for events also loom prominently – his first statement following the mourning period was to offer support to those facing the devastation of Hurricane Fiona in Atlantic Canada. It was striking to note how the King’s statement differs from those issued by the late Queen, being much more emotive and personal, based on his recent travels and experience. This is a King who wears his heart on his sleeve. For Canadians, it is interesting to note that the last statement issued by the Queen was to the people of Saskatchewan to mark the murders on the James Smith Cree reserve and in Weldon, Sask.
The King will also be grappling with a schedule planned for the fall, which will have to be adjusted. One of the first casualties will be a reconsideration of some commitments given his change in status, such as the upcoming COP 27 conference in Egypt. It is not possible for Charles to participate in international conferences outside the U.K. in areas where political figures must undertake the negotiations and be responsible for their success or failure. It was no surprise that this had to be declined but much more will have to be rethought as he now will attend the ceremonies where the Sovereign has a role and as he distances himself from the charities he established and other interests. This commitment was prominent in his first address on the day following the Queen’s death.
There is much speculation about the Commonwealth in the new reign. There remains confusion in the media and public about the Commonwealth, which has in fact grown by five members in recent years, several of which were never part of the British Empire. There is no question that the Commonwealth continues to face challenges and will have to work to remain relevant as an international organization, but this is quite apart from the role of the King as Head of State in 15 of the Commonwealth countries – the realms. There is no indication that countries that do not continue as monarchies will leave the Commonwealth. Ties remain strong – In fact, one of the first calls the King received was from the Prime Minister of Barbados to express sympathy – he had attended their ceremony to transition to a republic and wished them well, which was unprecedented.
In recent years, the Palace has been completely understanding and accepting of countries that wish to become republics and all of them have remained within the Commonwealth itself. The Queen herself saw more than thirty countries transition from her role as their head of State to having their own presidents. All remained Commonwealth members.
THE KING WILL APPROVE DEPICTIONS ON CURRENCY, BANKNOTES
It is for the countries that regard the King as their head of State to determine their constitutional futures and it is likely that many of them will opt for different arrangements. In the meantime, it is for each of them to determine how the King is represented on currency, banknotes, in portraits and in name. The King will approve these depictions, but many other changes were immediate on the death of the Queen, such as in the Courts, in contractual terms, in oaths and other representations.
The King will be looking to make significant changes in the monarchy in the months ahead, prior to the coronation. Just as the institution modernized over a long reign, this is an opportunity for more forward-facing change in the 21st century and a post-Elizabethan monarchy.
Among the issues the King will be grappling will be a rationalization of the residences, determining where he and the Queen Consort will live on a day-to-day basis and whether the rotation between them which has become so familiar will continue. It will have to be determined if the residences he used as Prince of Wales will be offered to other family members or closed entirely. For example, there is speculation that Balmoral Castle, where the Queen’s life ended, may become a museum, and operated more as a tribute to Elizabeth II, much like Osborne House on the Isle of Wight after the death of Queen Victoria. The King may prefer smaller, more cozy residences such as Birkhall or Highgrove rather than the larger homes which require more staff and upkeep. After 70 years of a familiar rotation amongst these homes on the contours of the established order of The Queen’s life, this will be a change for how they are used, for the public and the staff.
There will be staffing decisions and the size of the domestic staff will change. Traditional roles and sinecures, ones that are largely honorary, may be up for discussion for the first time in many decades to streamline the operation.
AGE AN ISSUE AMONGST WORKING MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
The Royal Family now includes only 11 working members, the fewest since the end of the Second World War and yet the Commonwealth continues to grow and public expectations for appearances by Royals continues to increase. Two of the 11 are beyond age 85 and unlikely to undertake much of workload. Five members of the Royal Family, including the King and Queen Consort. are over the age of 70 and while they remain the mainstay of the royal calendar, they may have to limit what they can take on in the years ahead. Only the Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Catherine) as well as the King’s brother Prince Edward and his wife Sophie are younger, and the mantle will fall upon them to step up to fill the void. This remains a significant issue.
The proposal to remove royal titles or status creates difficulties, particularly those who have had them beyond childhood. The shows this is not easy.
Given the deaths of the Queen and Prince Philip, the removal of Prince Andrew as well as Prince Harry stepping down, there are more than fifty military units across the Commonwealth who no longer have a royal link. They will be looking to appointments to fill these gaps. In addition, there are hundreds of charitable organizations that have had a royal patron over the years, and they are now without this connection. The charitable role of the Royal Family is extremely important to the visibility of these organizations, to their volunteers and to fundraising.
All this would be an enormous to do list, but the Coronation looms and important decisions will have to be made soon about its scope, scale, and guest list. A much more secular and ecumenical approach will likely emerge, with a significant review of the pomp and ceremony. It will look entirely different from 1953 and it will be a challenge to capture the public mood with the expected ceremony yet with a more contemporary and realistic tone. It will be more difficult to successfully achieve than the funeral and succession ceremonies we have seen in recent weeks.
WILL THERE BE RECONCILIATION WITH PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN?
For the public, there will be huge interest in seeing if there can be a reconciliation in the relationships with Prince Harry and Meghan. it was difficult to read between the lines of the events of the past weeks and much may have taken place off-camera. It is surely one of the King’s top priorities to establish a more harmonious relationship with his son and his wife and the rest of the Royal Family, with a reduction in the innuendos and allegations when reading between the lines of their interviews, podcasts, and other media. Working things out of the media and defusing some of the direct criticism that appears to be directed to the family is surely a priority. While a return to the U.K. is not likely in the cards for the Sussexes, a reduction in rancour will be essential to concentrate on the work at hand.
Most observers agree that the right tone was set by the King in his first speeches and conduct during the 10 days leading to the State Funeral as his reign began. There appears to be a well of sympathy and respect for him as he undertakes the burden of Kingship in the sadness of the passing of the late much-loved Queen.
But the challenges of the past weeks appear simpler compared to the tasks that await in this first year of a new reign, particularly in these troubled times.
