The eldest son of Elizabeth II, the monarch who died on Thursday (8), is due to be proclaimed King Charles III on Saturday (10) and will face two main challenges at the beginning of his reign: the decline in support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom between the young population and the maintenance of its own national unity.
Although the post of monarch in the country is practically ceremonial, economist Igor Macedo de Lucena, a doctoral candidate in international relations at the University of Lisbon and a member of Chatham House – The Royal Institute of International Affairs and of the Portuguese Association of Political Science, recalls that his mother Charles III knew how to work with the prime minister at the beginning of his reign, Winston Churchill, to unite the British people and overcome post-war adversities.
“The UK is going through a time of strikes, rising inflation, suffering the effects of a war, which will require decisions to be taken by the new prime minister. [Liz Truss] and with King Charles III on the throne. The challenges that are posed today are as great as those that Elizabeth II faced”, highlights Lucena.
In addition to the economic problems, the United Kingdom faces the risk of a breakdown of national unity: Scotland wants to hold another independence referendum in 2023, which, for Lucena, “could make room for a reunification of Ireland”.
Wilson Maske, professor of history at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), believes that Charles III would remain English and Scottish monarchs even if the separation is approved.
“If Scotland becomes independent, it will return to a previous situation, from the reign of Charles I (1625-1649, tried, convicted and executed for treason), in which he was simultaneously king of Scotland and England”, he explains.
“I do not know what arrangement would be made of this question, but the British are very skillful in settling these matters on acceptable terms, because owing to the very solid parliamentary system, since the limited monarchy with Parliament was established in 1688, England has not there were more revolutions, and not because there were no situations of social crisis that could lead to this, but because the parliamentary regime created situations that made reforms possible. The current problems do not threaten the UK and the monarchy, which have already faced tougher times such as the Second World War,” he argues.
While resolving political and economic tribulations is not the responsibility of the UK monarch, Maske projects that Charles III’s eventual attrition in the face of these issues “will depend on how he behaves on these issues”. “If he remains obedient to government decisions, as his mother did, they shouldn’t have much influence,” he justifies.
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Igor Macedo de Lucena believes that, like his mother, Charles III should not interfere in political decisions, despite his past of having an opinion on social and environmental issues. “He always had a very big political vision, but in recent times, he stopped giving an opinion because he knew that he would soon become king”, he says.
Elizabeth II was a popular figure, but lately not even her charisma was being enough to reverse the erosion of the monarchy among young British people.
A YouGov poll last year showed that 41% of 18-24 year olds thought the country should have an elected head of state, while only 31% would like to see the monarchy continue. In 2019, 46% of the population in this age group favored the monarchy and only 26% preferred the UK to have an elected head of state.
Charles III will struggle to reverse this decline: a survey conducted in July 2013, after the birth of Prince George – then third in the line of succession – indicated that the most popular royals after Queen Elizabeth II were Prince William, his wife Kate and Prince Harry.
This Thursday, many people on social media (largely in a jocular tone, of course) were already “campaigning” for William to take the throne in his father’s place. For Lucena, Charles III will not be helped by the fact that the queen consort will be Camilla Parker Bowles, with whom the then prince had an affair when he was still married to Princess Diana and who later became his wife – British public opinion was at odds. side of the “people’s princess” when her marriage to the heir to the throne ended.
“At a time of great future stress, Charles may even be forced to step aside and pass the crown to his son. He is not a charismatic figure and does not represent a renewal of the crown, as William does”, argues the analyst.
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