Subtlety and prudence have been the predominant characteristics of King Carlos III, in a period still considered to be one of national mourning. While experts project that changes will come in line with his agenda, among others, an environmentalist, he has had to deal with family controversies and around his financing.
Carlos III, the longest-serving monarch to ascend to the throne at 73, has preferred to continue his mother’s reign of more than seven decades, instead of leading radical transformations.
The king has ensured that neither the British nor the citizens of the Commonwealth will notice too much the change that was feared when he was still the prince of Wales.
Despite taking absolutely calculated steps, in these 365 days after the death of Elizabeth II, Carlos has shown himself to be a sovereign in keeping with the 21st century despite his advanced age.
Proof of this is that it has opened the doors of the royal palaces so that the live broadcasts of the media and social networks break the mystery and secrecy that has surrounded this institution for centuries.
The use of technology is not free. Carlos knows that the future of the monarchy lies in the acceptance of the new generations and he is capitalizing on it.
During his coronation, last May, only one act was off limits to television cameras: the ‘sacred’ moment in which he was anointed with olive oil, extracted from fruits grown on the Mount of Olives.
His coronation, which maintained the essence of the same religious and constitutional ceremony that has been performed for centuries, had a turn introduced by the king himself.
Subtle, as its title implies, but it gave it an air of modernity with the participation of different religious leaders.
“Although he is clearly Anglican, he also believes in the Perennial Wisdom, in sacred geometry, he believes that nature itself is sacred, and therefore his environmentalism is driven by much deeper and sometimes stranger ideas than we realize. would be expected”, says Catherine Mayer, the dawn of the book ‘Charles: the Heart of a King’.
“If Elizabeth was seen as the grandmother of the nation, her son is embracing the role of grandfather,” says the British newspaper ‘The Times’.
The prudence that forges ‘true’ kings
Before Isabel’s death, due to her mobility problems, Carlos had assumed the leadership of the family and state affairs. For a year, fewer members of the royal family have attended official events or on behalf of the king.
An indication that it would be acting in accordance with the crisis of the national economy, in which a smaller acting family should not spend so many resources.
The expert on the British monarchy, Gabriela Morales, assured France 24 that Carlos has shown himself “prudent and reserved”, intelligently awaiting the 2024 general elections that project a change of the Conservative government for a Labor one.
It will be time, he says, for Carlos to make reforms and get support for his environmental agenda.
“He is in favor of the transition. So, we are going to see the real Carlos lobby as he knows how to do it. There we are going to see changes that are related to the diplomatic strategy with the Commonwealth and the former British colonies,” says Morales.
For Carlos’s biographer, Catherine Mayer, there is no doubt that financing the monarchy is one of the king’s priorities.
“He is under pressure that certainly hasn’t been seen in recent times. So he has to do it, so he’s going to reform the monarchy into how it looks now and try to find some compromise with its funding and the way it fits into public perceptions, that is more acceptable under the terrible economic pressures.” .
For Morales, the king is showing himself to be more transparent in terms of family finances.
“It was his turn to publicize the economy of the Privy Purse and he has explained it in great detail because he knows that he has on his back that issue that his mother brought up, in the Queen’s consent, that lobbying they did with Parliament to keep their wealth private. Above all, that his private accounts should not be investigated and he has been very subtle trying to show that he is not abusively enriching himself at the expense of the country ”.
A more political monarchy?
This year, Prince William, the successor to the British throne, embraced as his own the fight to end begging and help those who have to live on the streets of the country.
An initiative that is undoubtedly important in the context of the cost of living crisis in which the number of those who cannot pay rent has skyrocketed. However, it generated controversy because it is the Government that is responsible for assuming this type of cause.
According to ‘The Times’, the king will soon launch a program to end food waste, which is also part of the situation of an economy in crisis.
Subtle, but the causes that the king and his family have chosen respond not only to the reality of the country, but to the interests of the monarch himself.
“He won’t do it in the same way that he was making scandals, giving speeches that upset people. He can hold meetings with the prime minister every week and give his opinion vigorously. He will, he will stay active,” Mayer states.
The family, his headache
Mayer affirms that Carlos’ first months as king have been “very difficult. He’s pretty reasonable, but in the way his mother knew how to deal, he’s mostly flying under the radar.”
This is because of the scandals surrounding his family and because of the transparency in the financing of the Royal House.
It is known that while he is hurt by the revelations of his youngest son, Harry, both in his memoirs and on television, is in the middle of a maze with family shame over the accusations against his brother Andres.
Who was known as the favorite son of Elizabeth II, was accused of alleged sexual abuse of a minor, whom he would have known through his friend, the pedophile banker Jeffrey Epstein and with whom he would have had three sexual encounters.
Andrés has denied the accusations, but he reached a million-dollar agreement with his plaintiff so that the case ended in the United States courts.
Due to the scandal, Andrés was stripped of his royal and military titles. Nobody wants to be associated with him.
Andrés does not currently represent his family or the king, but continues to live in an official residence.
For his part, Carlos’s relationship with Harry has been characterized by estrangement since he resigned from being an active member of the ‘royals’ and moved to California.
Undoubtedly, the biggest problem for the king, due to the connotations it has and the impact among the population, his financiers, is his brother Andrés.
“They want to rehabilitate their image or for the public to start accepting that Andrés is going to be a permanent parasite, it is a great challenge: what are they going to do with Andrés?” Morales wonders.
A year is a very short time to define a reign. Undoubtedly, the first steps are important, but, in this case, not definitive.
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