What will happen to the English monarchy after the death of Queen Elizabeth
Carlo became king The handover was immediate, without frills: the moment the sovereign died, Carlo took the throne. "His personal communiqué of condolence a few moments after his death has already been signed 'His Majesty the King'" explains Francesco Vicario, head of service of the weekly Gente and one of the most profound Italian connoisseurs of royal houses, who also follows with the Instagram project The royal grammer. "That there was an immediate handover, after all, was necessary to avoid a vacatio. Even the knot of the name was quickly dissolved: the sovereign will be called Charles III", he adds. No doubt about the role of Camilla, already defined "Queen consort" in the same note.
Anyone who thought of a generational leap will be disappointed. “They are not foreseen in the British monarchy. The sovereign does not directly manage the succession act - continues Vicar -, which has a constitutional value and must be approved by all the parliaments of the Commonwealth. The last ratification of the version currently in force dates back to 2015 by the Australian assembly. In this version, however, it is established that female princesses must not give way to males in the line of succession ”. A symptom of the Crown's will to keep up with the times, just as it is of the constitutionalism that has permeated its essence.
Charles's coronation will not be immediate: Elizabeth also waited a few months. It may be that the new ruler chooses an informal ceremony. William and Kate, on the other hand, will rise to the rank of princes of Wales: unlike what happened for the king, in this case an investiture ceremony is required.
Who is the new king of England? A great expert in philosophy and theater, an ante litteram environmentalist, Charles will therefore be the new ruler. "I tend to exclude that he will abdicate in favor of his son - continues Vicar -, also because he is a man who, starting from the age of awareness, has shown that he has considerable depth of thought". This is an aspect that he helped to dig a furrow with Diana. The princess who died in 1997 in Paris was very empathetic, but certainly not endowed with the culture of her spouse.
he He will be a sovereign with a more rigid demeanor, on the model of his mother. “Elisabetta has never shown a great propensity for empathy: she was a queen of few words, rather dry, but she still managed to be liked. I remember the sentence pronounced during Covid: 'We will come back to hug each other', she simply said. But the eloquence of a sovereign is to be insightful, and she knew it well, ”observes the reporter. He was, however, also capable of outbursts of irony, as in the video, released a few months ago, in which he conversed with the Paddington bear and then offered him a sandwich jealously guarded in his handbag.
The new king has a history of relations with public opinion much more controversial. His popularity reached its lowest in 1998, after Diana's death. But over the years he has been able to get back on top. For the expert, “the subjects acknowledged that he married the woman he loved and, to both, the ability to honor their role by serving the Crown with humility and without ever ending up over the top. The image of the unfaithful husband left to us Europeans has been abundantly surpassed at home. Also because the British remain deeply monarchical ”.
Here: what future does the institution have? There are those who argue that it is anti-modern. The costs are criticized. "The apparatus is unpopular for the expenses related to the management of the royal status, but it is an anthropological element of the nation. The republican experiences have shown that on the island there are no conditions for a change of system - says Vicario -. of the monarchies of Spain and Belgium, which could easily be replaced by parliaments, this, in Great Britain, is simply not in the nature of things ".
The sovereign's powers are wider than imagined, even if , in practice, they are not exercised. "Those who reign are recognized many of the prerogatives of a President of the Republic. He is the head of state of the armed forces. Even if it is true that it is difficult for a young man born after 2000 to conceive a position of responsibility based on birthright ", observes the expert.
The knot of the Commonwealth The real knot, according to Vicar, concerns the Commonwealth, fifty-four countries, 2.1 billion people, i which the Crown is at the head. The organization was commissioned by Elizabeth to manage a decolonization that was never completely overcome.
"The most delicate aspect that Carlo will have to face concerns the system of relations with these countries. In recent times there has been no lack of manifestations of unease towards the monarchy. On a recent trip to Belize, William and Kate had to cancel their visit to a village due to protests. In Jamaica, Premier Andrew Holness told William: 'The country is moving forward, and our real ambition is independence,' "Vicar said. In Canada, Quebec could show a resurgence of separatist movements. It has been tried to argue that the death of the sovereign would have triggered the fall of the government of the French-speaking province; but a law approved in June 2021, for the moment ensures the continuity of the executive "Canada is too tied to the Crown," said Vicar. According to which a problem could arise in Australia, also in consideration of the sidereal distance with Great Britain.
“There have been many historical passages in which the Australian people have struggled to understand the meaning of keeping a British head of state - continues the journalist, recalling, however, a significant episode -. The fascination that Buckingham Palace exerts has something extraordinary, and it is on the basis of that that the relationship continues to be kept alive. Before the trip of Charles and Diana in 1983, the prime minister of Canberra had used words of derision towards the monarchy: he had to change course, when he noticed the jubilation that people paid to the princess. Because the Commonwealth exerts an undeniable attraction on Australians ”. A referendum held in 1999 confirmed this interpretation.
Certainly, geographical distance loosens ties. "But they recognize themselves in the organization, strongly desired by Elizabeth, which was the sun around which the planets revolve. The sovereign was able to make herself liked: before each trip she studied a lot, she studied the habits and customs of the local populations, she was also respectful with the heads of government. You have always invested in cultural diversification, unlike, for example, Thatcher. Even at the time of Brexit, she did not speak, but made her position well understood by wearing the European colors ", comments the expert.
Elisabetta" was the woman who saved the monarchy in this country - writes the Times - It does not mean that without her we would live in a republic, or that the monarchy did not have difficult times during her reign, when the unpopularity of some of its members led critics to question her own future, but it is thanks to his dedication and seriousness of purpose that an institution that at times seemed dated and unable to keep up with the values of contemporary society still enjoys relevance and popularity today ". She has embraced the changes rather than initiated them, writes the Guardian. With the death of the sovereign, an era sets.
