King Charles III lacks of ability to show empathy to the public

London, 6 May 2023 – There’s a reason why still today, in times of trouble, the monarchy is relevant to the British people.

Amid fractious politics, international uncertainty, economic crisis and cost of living, the Royal family is widely felt as the continuity with the past, in some way an element of stability.

That stands regardless of the fact the Royals are fractious themselves: Charles and Diana extra-marital affairs and divorce, the breakaway of Henry and the Family’s female malign attitude towards Megan…

There’s everything and more than what normally happens nowadays in our families apart from the tragic, and under some regards mysterious, death of Diana.

Paradoxically, right these internal rifts made of the Windsor that ‘messy’ family, telenovela style, that mirrors our society, apart from their money and the (sometimes disputable) ceremony hats, obviously; but even these two last are the elements of seduction and attraction bounding them to the wider society: that chic-kitsch ambiguity of the British style.

And then, there is the tradition: here is the cornerstone and the why ‘monarchy’ in Britain stands for ‘history’, ‘heritance’, ‘shared identity’. All in all it’s about meaning and continuity.

The core of this magnificent ceremony has been in fact the anointing of King Charles III by the Archbishop of Canterbury 

behind three decorated while sitting on a 700 years wood and gold throne where Scottish kings had been crowned for seven centuries; and then rite of the symbolic two ancient swords, globe, scepter, ring and glove.

Ancient rite of anointing during King Charles III Coronation – Images ©SkyNews – 6 May 2023

For a country where centuries are framed by kings’ and queens’ reigns, today’s coronation meant witnessing history made real.

Beyond representation, was a rite of recognition of strength and common ties.

Meaning that the British monarchy isn’t just an institution relevant to the Commonwealth and overseas British territories, or a charity and pro-bono very posh management team.

Critics of the Windsor, beyond the cost of the monarchy, bring forward the case of the Royals not being truly English, but of German descent from the house of Hanover as ‘Windsor’ isn’t a real royal name, but the one chosen by George V when in 1917 changed the Royal Family’s name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha into one sounding more English, due to the still tense relations with Germany after the Great War.

But this does not seem to be nowadays an element of mistrust. The young disengagement towards the monarchy registered in the polls has to be traced back to the disengagement that Charles and Camilla show towards the wider society and new generations as they are perceived as ‘out of touch’.

There’s also an ingrained introversion and lack of ability to, at least, show empathy to the public, but regardless of character inabilities, the soft power mandate for King Charles III still stands: the eyes of the world today were on Westminster Abbey: a good omen for tourism at least to fill back in the millions of pounds all this fabulous historic rite has cost.

Images ©SkyNews – 6 May 2023: Charles III and Queen Camilla appear to the crowd from Buckingham Palace balcony.

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