Charles becomes King

King Charles III, 73, has been groomed for the job but, as they say, he is his “own man” rather than a clone of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. This was demonstrated when he chose to stick with the name he has been known by since birth instead of switching to Philip, Arthur or George, his other given names. His great-uncle David, became Edward VII, while Charles’ grandfather, Bertie, took the throne as George VI.

He stuck with Charles although the name has not been a propitious for Britsh monarchs. The first two kings called Charles reigned during turbulent times. Charles I was King of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England, where he spent much of the rest of his strife-ridden life. He was tried, convicted and executed for high treason after revolting against parliament which demanded that he the divine right of kings and accept a constitutional monarchy.

Charles II, his son, came to the throne in May 1660 following the brutal republican reign of Oliver Cromwell. One of the most popular the kings of England, Scotland and Ireland, he died in 1685 after a rough and roggish reign. As he had no legitimate children he was succeeded by his brother James. In 1688, the kingdom became a constitutional monarchy and the powers of monarchs were curbed and defined. Unlike the two previous kings called Charles, Britain’s modern monarchs reign but do not rule. They are ceremonial heads of state who open parliament, endorse prime ministers and ministers, give assent to legislation, formally appoint members of the House of Lords recommended by the govern- and anoint knights of the realm.

Queen Elizabeth II, who came to the throne at 25, was apolitical and refused to take sides or promote her own views although she closely followed events and was briefed on developments. She had hobbies. She rode, bred and raced horses and enjoyed the company of dogs, particularly Corgis.

She loved the outdoors and walking in the countryside. She collected stamps and, with her husband, Prince Philip, took part in Scottish country dancing. Unlike Charles who courted the press, she never gave a press conference.

King Charles III is the first British monarch to have a university degree: a BA from Cambridge University. Before becoming Prince of Wales he spent a year in Wales studying its language and culture. Unlike his mother, King Charles has a long record of involvement in causes: the environment, farming, urban architecture, and youth empowerment. He is connected with more than 400 charities. The Princes’s Trust trains thousands of young Britons needing job skills. Although he has been outspoken on a number of issues and accused of “meddling,” and “challenging the accepted wisdom,” he has said he will refrain from stirring up controversy now that he is king.

One of his most interesting achievements as Duke of Cornwall is the creation of Poundbury, an extension to the Dorset county town of Dorchester, built on Charles’ architectural principles for urban planning and connection with the countryside. The community is being constructed on land owned by the Dutchy of Cornwall which has been inherited by the king’s son, William along with the title of Prince of Wales.

The housing project was launched in 1993 and is due to be completed in 2026. The architecture is traditional, blending in with that of Dorchester, and housing is meant to be affordable for rental or shared ownership by local people. The towm is walkable and features wide green spaces. So far, 4,000 people live there and more than 200 businesses have established themselves. As Duke of Cornwall, Charles also turned a swathe of Dartmoor into 21 farms specialising in livestock rearing.

While the Queen kept a polite distance from foreign affairs, Prince Charles forged close ties with the Gulf. Since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings when he held 95 meetings with eight Middle Eastern rulers.

The Queen, as head of state, received Israeli presidents visiting London, but she never went to Israel. While she cultivated warm relations with Britain’s Jewish community, she was, apparently, determined not to upset her personal and Britain’s close relations with the Saudi and Gulf rulers.   

Prince Charles represented British royals at the funerals of former prime ministers Yitzak Rabin and Shimon Peres and made his first official trip to Israel in 2020, becoming the first heir to the throne to undertake such a visit since the establishment of the state in 1948. His son William made the first ever royal visit 2018.

Prince Charles went to Israel to attend the World Holocaust Forum, met Israeli President Rubin Rivlin, and visited the grave on the Mount of OLives of his paternal grandmother Princess Alice who rescued Jews fleeing the Nazis during World War II.

Prince Charles travelled to Bethlehem in the West Bank where he expressed his sympathy after witnessing the “suffering and hardship” of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. In an address delivered in the town, he said, “It is my dearest wish that the future will bring freedom, justice and equality to all Palestinians, enabling you to thrive and to prosper.”

According to Robert Jobson, author of “Charles At Seventy: Thoughts, Hopes and dreams,” published in 2018: Charles sees the conflict is “the fundamental reason for the hostility and all the ‘pent-up poison’ throughout the Islamic world.”

Al-Jazeera quoted Sky News television as saying at the time that his words constituted “the biggest show of support that a member of the Royal family ever has [expressed] for the Palestinians.”

Jobson also revealed that Charles was a staunch opponent of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and that he was “plunged in despair” by then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s involvement in the war. If he had been king, he told Jobson he might have argued againt this. He told his circle of advisers that he “regarded the [George W.] Bush administration as ‘terrifying’ and pilloried what he believes was Blair’s lack of perspicacity,” Jobson wrote. “He believed Blair had behaved like Bush’s ‘poodle’ and said so.” While these words were spoken in private conversation, the fact that Prince Charles expressed himself frankly and his biographer recorded them could be a portent for his kingship.

Photo: TNS