Charles III would probably have wished for a different debate on his 100-day anniversary than the one about the deepening rift in his family. The king has been showing a stiff upper lip publicly these days and has left his son Harry’s Netflix documentary almost uncommented. But the calibrated allegations and the massive media attention indicate to him that this theater will remain loyal to him for a while.
The “Times” already wrote of a “reign in the shadow of Netflix”, because Charles’ first weeks on the throne had already been accompanied by the American streaming platform. The current season of the series “The Crown” is about the middle-aged Charles, a phase that was not one of his strongest. Memories of Charles’ first wife Diana were awakened, and disloyalties towards his mother were also foisted on him.
On the other hand, one should not overestimate the power of the media storyteller. In retrospect, the posts that Charles has taken since September should count. The transition, which had to balance the grief over Elisabeth’s death with a new beginning, is seen as a success on all sides. Charles seemed sure-footed and found the right words. In his first speech as king, he made it clear that the new role is a farewell to the old one. “It will no longer be possible for him to devote so much of my time and energy to the charitable causes and causes that move me so deeply,” he said. That was a message to those who feared or hoped that he would also take a political stand as head of state, for example on climate protection.
Great Britain, Bradford: King Charles III. smiles during a visit to Morrisons’ head office in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
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Image: dpa
Instead, Charles remained silent even when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he would not attend the climate summit in Egypt. Not even a word of criticism could be elicited from the “palace sources”, although everyone suspected that Charles had no understanding for Sunak’s decision, which was ultimately revised. In his inaugural speech, the king pledged to “uphold constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.” This also meant that the unelected head of state would continue to behave neutrally.
Uncompromising approach
In the case of the veteran lady-in-waiting, Susan Hussey, it became clear that he still made different decisions on some issues than his mother. She had asked a London-born black women activist questions that were branded as racist on social media, prompting her to immediately vacate her volunteer position.
Charles’ uncompromising crackdown on an old friend of his late mother reflects a heightened sensitivity to the standards of identity politics, but also a deeper concern that both culture and history of royalty could yet spill over into a threatening issue. “Despite Charles’ sensibilities, he has a core of steel,” his biographer Sally Bedell Smith said this week.
Charles’ first 100 days on the throne do not represent a break with tradition, but rather a further development. His mother also attended mosques and temples, but she would never have sat cross-legged and in socks on the floor to be closer to the Sikhs, as Charles did earlier this month.
The coronation in May is also likely to fluctuate between continuity and modernization. It will be shorter than the ceremony for Elizabeth in 1953. More young people will be invited and more representatives of ethnic minorities. Nonetheless, there will be no lack of pomp and splendor – not least because this is what the British expect, but also viewers all over the world.
