Deb Daniel
Long Live the King! God Save the King! In a day, our anthem changed and we lost our long-reigning monarch to gain the King of England, Charles III.
What a strange thing to say and write. However, the reality is we do now have King Charles III – our first King for over 70 years. Most of us are unable to remember a time without Queen Elizabeth and so we are entering a season of uncertainty.
“Queen Elizabeth has left a great legacy for her firstborn”
Liz Truss became our Prime Minister on 5 September 2022 and the cost of living crisis has not been her only grand task. Since yesterday Truss has had to lead the nation in a post-Elizabethan world.
The whole world is grieving because our country has lost someone great, someone inspirational, and someone well-loved. Queen Elizabeth has left a great legacy for her firstborn, who will now be the face of our currency, our nation, and this era.
But is Charles popular?
Some Australians do not wish to have King Charles’ face on their money but instead desire Steve Irwin, the beloved wildlife expert in Australia and beyond.
“several people much prefer the next in line, Prince William”
It must be noted that King Charles does have overwhelming support worldwide – yet he can still never be compared to his late mother. Queen Elizabeth II was known for her loving marriage to Prince Philip – while King Charles III is notoriously remembered for his failed marriage to the people’s Princess, Princess Diana. For some, Diana is a reason to dislike King Charles and several people much prefer the next in line, Prince William.
According to Yougov, King Charles is the seventh most popular royal. His own son William is the 3rd most popular after Kate Middleton and the Queen takes the number one spot.
On the other hand, the nation is keen to give King Charles III a chance to prosper as King of England. In my view, he is brave for keeping his name due to its association with the previous King Charles’ (the beheaded and the party King) but I respect him more for this as it demonstrates a lack of vanity and the goal of wiping the slate clean.
British Politics
King Charles must now be mindful that he cannot be too political as he does not have his prince’s freedom. I trust that Charles will be a different King from our late queen, set apart but abiding by his country and every royal code.
British Politics will be put on hold until the end of the mourning period which is in a week’s time.
In the meantime, our new Prime Minister is engaging with our new King. Earlier today, King Charles arrived at Buckingham Palace to speak with Liz Truss.
My hope is our two leaders can bond over both being new to their roles. They face the daunting task of being inexperienced at their jobs but we must remember that King Charles was born to be King and Truss has been an MP since 2010.
“Whatever may be your background or beliefs I shall endeavour to serve you” – King Charles III
Charles, like his mother, will be devoted to the Church of England but cannot work so tirelessly for his charities with his busier monarch schedule.
One of the King’s first jobs was to give his wife and first child a new title. Camilla is now Queen Consort and Prince William has become Prince of Wales.
I can understand fearing the future of Britain with new leadership but we should trust that our country will recover even as we mourn our losses.
“Whatever may be your background or beliefs I shall endeavour to serve you,” said King Charles III.
Featured image courtesy of Ferdinand Stöhr on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
