Let’s have some sympathy for Charles Windsor, who, starting today, will officially wear the crown bequeathed to him by his mother when she died last September! He presents himself late in the game as a backup pitcher who must save the entire squad from crowd disinterest.
For once it is not customary, I allow myself to abuse sporting references. And then it will give you an idea of my age. In my eyes, Charles III is the Doug Wickenheiser of the British monarchy. From his first appearances in Montreal, the young player from Regina bore the burden of continuing the Canadian dynasty.
He had to be as good as, if not better than, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur. Bad challenge!
Charles, too, has before him a dynasty that – for supporters of the CH – is as respected as Sainte-Flanelle. His grandfather, George VI, was notable for keeping the nation united and the Empire engaged in the face of Nazi aggression during World War II.
His mother, Elizabeth II, did not oppose Hitler, but the turmoil that swept through the British royal family during their seventy years on the throne often took on the appearance of a casualty blitzkrieg.
A disappointing son
No wonder Elizabeth II had to deal with her share of scandals and scandals in France during the second-longest reign in world history after that of Louis XIV. Two of the most painful, however, concern his eldest son, Charles.
There are many – I saw it myself in London at his mother’s funeral – who still don’t forgive him for his split from Diana Spencer – Lady Di – after a much less romantic life as a couple than their grandiose 1981 wedding.
Diana’s “there were three of us in this marriage” in reference to the relationship her prince by husband has maintained with now Queen Camilla will forever tarnish the image of her new king for many.
Elizabeth II’s final years were also marred by tensions between her son and grandson Harry. From interviews to biography, the young prince keeps repeating that the palace and his family have done nothing to protect him and his wife Meghan from intrusion by the British press. On the contrary, his mother-in-law, he says, was in cahoots with the most devious tabloids.
AN ENDLESS WAIT
If the members of the British Empire have long been docile out of respect for his mother, Charles III. do not benefit from the same consideration.
It is no longer merely invoking “emancipation” from the Republic, but is demanding apologies and reparations for the royal family’s centuries-old association with slavery.
At 74, Charles is the oldest crown prince to ascend the British throne in a millennium of history.
Nothing to do with Henry VI. to do with who was barely eight months old, or worse still, with his great-great-great-grandmother Victoria, who was 18, or his own mother, 25.
His subjects are already fed up with him and apparently he knows it very well. Poor Karl!
CHARLES III, HIS CORONATION AND SOME SACRED OBJECTS
THE THRONE OF SAINT EDWARD OR KING EDWARD
This simple wooden throne has played a role in coronations for 700 years.
It only left Westminster Abbey twice: in 1657, during England’s brief republican period under Oliver Cromwell, and during the Second World War when it was transported to Gloucester Cathedral in western England.
THE SPOON THE CORONATION
There is nothing special about it compared to the Crown Jewels, but this spoon is the oldest object and one of the most sacred of the entire ceremony.
Oliver Cromwell melted down the gold and sold the royal jewels, but the spoon was sold intact and the owner returned it to Charles II after the monarchy was restored.
THE LIGHT BULB
This vase in the shape of a golden eagle contains the holy oil that will anoint the king and queen.
It is linked to a 14th-century legend that the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Thomas Becket and offered him a golden eagle and a phial of oil to anoint future kings of England.
THE STONE OF DESTINY
St. Edward’s Throne was built around 1300 to house the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scones.
