As the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted many to question the relevance of the monarchy in these times, a royal historian claims on Wednesday that King Charles III only views himself as a "caretaker" for the throne ahead of Prince William’s future ascension.
Facing a modernized world that has questioned the need for a monarchy in the United Kingdom as well as asking for apologies and reparations for past injustices and abuses committed under the name of the British crown, academics and analysts like Anna Whitelock are questioning if the monarchy can survive after Queen Elizabeth’s death, according to the Associated Press.
“What place does a monarchy have in a multi-faith, multi-ethnic society?” Whitelock said. “And is it the right rallying point for the nation? And should it be the monarch representing the U.K. abroad? What does it say about us? Is it a bastion of tradition that people should applaud? Or is it actually a check on progress that actually doesn’t represent the inclusive, diverse society that people would hope that Britain would now become?”
Because of these beliefs and questions surrounding the monarchy, as well as being the oldest person to inherit the throne at 73, royal historian Marlene Koenig believes that Charles sees himself more as a "caretaker" of the throne for the next generation, Insider reported.
“He knows that his time is shorter. But he's gonna do the best that he can,” Koenig said. “He is and he knows he is a caretaker for the next generation.”
The pressures to modernize the monarchy, which Charles has promised to do, weigh heavy on his reign as king. Beyond his promise of slimming down the monarchy and its working royals, Charles is also dogged by countries that plan to remove the British monarch as the head of state.
There are also worries about Charles’ popularity, which is significantly less than his mother due to his divorce from Princess Diana, as well as accusations of racism from his son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
In spite of that, regular people like World War II veteran Bertram Leon believe that Charles will be successful in his plan to modernize the monarchy.
“The king is actually going to change, perhaps modernize the monarchy in the image that he thinks in the current day,” Leon said. “We can’t live back in the 1920s, ’30s or ’50s, when Elizabeth took over. We are now in the 21st century, and I think things are going to be regarded and looked at a bit different.”
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