King Charles III Could Be the Most Important Monarch In British History

Not what the people want, but what the monarchy needs

King Charles III. Official Portrait.

A king, as part of the job description, needs to be held above his people. However, if history taught us anything is that when a king wants to make sure that the crown stays attached to his head, and that his head stays attached to his body, he needs the support of his people. That is why for centuries kings had to explain why it is they who should be trusted in holding the most senior role in the land, and why their children should inherit these roles only because they were born.

In medieval Europe, for example, there was a belief that royalty has a different kind of blood. Blue blood. In truth, this concept is thought to have originated from the fact that royalty had a light skin complexion and more visible veins compared to workers and other ethnic groups with darker-tanned skin that masked their veins. There were those who proclaimed themselves smarter or more courageous than their fellow man and thus fit to be kings. Some chose a more pretentious excuse and simply claimed that they were chosen by God.

You might find it surprising but back in 1953, before Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, 3 in 10 Brits believed she was directly descended by God. Criticism of the monarchy was said in whispers if even said. These were the days of a new world order, of a new world. Post WW2. The U.K. was a fallen empire and in the face of fear, doubt, and uncertainty a vast majority of Brits saw the monarchy as a necessity. Queen Elizabeth II and that’s one of her many powers, was a bridge connecting two worlds. She was coronated in an age when the crown meant one thing, and she died when the crown meant another. Her heir, her son, is now receiving his crown under this new reality.

In recent polls, only 29% of those asked defined the monarchy as “very important”. The lowest figure since data collection began in 1983. One in four people in Britain defines as a republican and favors abolishing the monarchy. The U.K. is one of only two G8 countries with a shrinking economy, performing much worse than the rest. Inflation is rising, the Pound is dropping, and Brexit added a price tag of billions on food.