Table of Contents
The death of Queen Elizabeth means that Prince Charles III will be taking over as head of the Monarch. Contrary to the other members of the Monarch, Charles III has been vocal about his political views. Gerring et al. (2020) highlighted that the Monarchial system had exempted its members from participating in the country’s political affairs. Generally, the members of the royal family are expected to be neutral. This expectation implies that they are not allowed to vote or make any political stand concerning any matter. However, Charles III has shown a different side of the Monarch. Low (2022) reports that the Prince has often been known to be fairly liberal. This fact generally means that he is an individual who is not afraid to speak his mind. Although there has been some scrutiny relating to his general conduct, the Prince has remained steadfast in his beliefs and principles, speaking out on matters he feels are of public interest. In this regard, the Queen’s death raises controversial discussion on the extent of the authority of King Charles III. There are growing uncertainties about what to expect from him especially given the difference in character he brings to the table. The current assessment is therefore directed towards uncovering what should be expected in the reign of King Charles III as the head of the Monarch and the Leader of the United Kingdom. Charles expected to respect the monarchial neutrality, but he will not desist from voicing his political concerns.
The Reign of Liberal Power
The most crucial factor to expect in the reign of King Charles III is that there will be significant changes to the structure of the Monarch. With the assessment of Suliman (2022), the first shift would be the extension of the liberal government to promote equality beyond the confines of the monarchial system. Charles III has already expressed his stand on politics. Generally, this implies a likelihood of increased engagement of the King and the members of the Monarch in the country’s political affairs. For instance, Charles has been at the forefront of the discussion of environmental factors and their influence on the climate. According to the discussions by Suliman (2022), there have been growing concerns from the house of representative over the influence that the Prince had on the public regarding the observed climatic change and the role that the public, as well as the government, has played in it. The Prince, however, never shied away from such debates despite the constitutional expectation of neutrality of the Monarch. His comments on the housing problem and the country’s architectural work also sparked tension in the country over the accuracy of his assessment. In this regard, it is safe to say that the King may introduce a more inclusive monarchial system that also weighs in on matters of the state. The general belief of the Prince has often been that there should be equal distribution of authority, which points to the extension of the liberal government.
The Slimming Down of the Monarchy
The plans to slim down the Monarch have been in the King’s mind for several years. With his entry into power, it is becoming eminent that this plan could be implemented. According to Krasteva (2022), the intention to slim down the Monarch basically involves the recalibration of what it takes to be a working member of the Monarch. There are general expectations that some of the existing posts and other members of the Monarch could be relieved from their duties. Initially, the intentions of the Prince were met with a lot of scrutiny from different stakeholders. There were concerns about the risks associated with taking such actions. Generally, this is accurate especially given the interconnection between the existing power hierarchy. As reported by Krasteva (2022), the functionality of the Monarch has been based on the ability of every system member to fulfill their duties. A change in the system could affect the fluency of operations, the Monarch’s functionality, and the King’s reign.
Nonetheless, it is worth upholding the risk that the King is willing to take to manage the authority and functionality of the Monarch. The King intended to establish an autonomous Monarchial system without necessarily distributing power to many people who could alter the system’s credibility. The underlying factor is that there should be a general expectation of changes to the Monarchy’s structure under King Charles III’s reign.
Conclusion
Although the death of Queen Elizabeth leaves the entire world in a period of moaning, the excitement that comes with the expectation of the reign of King Charles III is rather satisfactory. For one, the King has been by the Queen’s side for a more significant part of her reign as the head of the Monarch. It means that he has the knowledge and experience to maintain and build upon the achievements that the Queen had brought to the country. However, his connection to the country and the public gives him added insight into what he should do to promote sustainable living. It is evident that the King is willing to speak on behalf of the people and is not afraid to express his political stance regarding matters affecting the people. There is, therefore, that security and the hope of a different Monarchial rain that is more inclusive of the people.
- Gerring, J., Wig, T., Veenendaal, W., Weitzel, D., Teorell, J., & Kikuta, K. (2020). Why Monarchy? The rise and demise of a regime type. Comparative Political Studies, 54(3-4), 585-622. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414020938090
- Krasteva, G. (2022, September 9). King’s ‘slimmed down’ Monarchy could see key relatives cut from the firm. Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/09/king-charles-monarchy-could-see-key-relatives-cut-from-the-firm-17333619/
- Low, V. (2022, September 9). Slimmed-down Monarchy is fit for the 21st century. The Times & The Sunday Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/slimmed-down-monarchy-is-fit-for-21st-century-c0p789nk6
- Suliman, A. (2022, September 9). Britain has a new monarch: What to know about King Charles III. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/09/uk-king-charles-iii-what-to-know/