As King Charles is set to be crowned beginning the new role, some royal commentators think that family divisions and other fundamental issues still loom for Britain’s 74-year-old monarch who succeeds his extremely popular mother Queen Elizabeth after her death last September. She had reigned for 70 years.
“I think we are all quite surprised at how well King Charles has begun,” royal author Tina Brown told Reuters as the monarch has given glimpses of future changes to the institution.
Approval ratings
King Charles does not enjoy the same support as his mother, but his public approval ratings are generally high.
“I think he has struck the right notes. He hasn’t completely jettisoned all the things of his mother’s reign but he has tried to put his own stamp on the monarchy and on Britain,” Harshan Kumarasingham, senior lecturer in British politics at the University of Edinburgh said.
Challenges Charles faces
With eggs thrown at the king and his wife Camilla on one trip, and protesters voicing opposition at others, King Charles faces criticism as the British monarch. Earlier, Buckingham Palace backed research into the monarchy’s links to slavery amid growing calls for apologies and reparations. The monarch has also faced questions on the royal family’s wealthy and the finances of the institution.
Royal family problems
The issue with respect to sexual assault lawsuit of King Charles’ younger brother Prince Andrew still remains unresolved. Prince Andrew has not been charged with any criminal offence and has denied any wrongdoing. But the most prominent issue for King Charles is the ongoing conflict with his younger son Prince Harry.
“I think that the Prince Harry revelations are very personally shattering for the new king because it’s his son, someone he was actually very devoted to and I think still is. And so he feels very wounded,” Tina Brown said.
Royal correspondent Robert Hardman said, “Whenever a Harry outburst takes place, at the time everyone is open-jawed and goes ‘oh my gosh this is extraordinary how can the monarchy get over this’ but a few days later it just passes by.”
