With the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the succession of her son, a new era has begun for Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Therefore, King Charles III faced many problems that he had to overcome. Tensions in the Commonwealth, internal divisions and his own outspoken prince. ‘It will be hard work’, says correspondent Lia van Bekhoven.

The day after Queen Elizabeth died, Charles swore that, like his mother, he would dedicate his life to the service of the people. The speech was well received in Britain, but in the Commonwealth it was thunderous. In his speech, he emphasized the bond the UK and the Commonwealth have with one another. He wanted to make sure that the bond continued. But that hope is not shared by every Commonwealth country. ‘Under the Queen, that perception seems to represent the empire’s past which is actually good. It was viewed in a very friendly manner. That’s changing now’, said Van Bekhoven.

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According to Van Bekhoven, more attention is now being paid to the painful side of the colonial past. ‘Things like the issue of slavery, the involvement of the royal family in it: these are all problems that are now really living in a number of countries.’ For Barbados, it was an excuse to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth as head of state at the end of last year. A number of smaller countries have indicated that they will hold a referendum on their role in the Commonwealth within three years. Van Bekhoven: ‘That most likely means that they will relinquish the British head of state as their head of state and that they will become a republic.’

division

Votes for farewell are not only outside the Kingdom. There are also divisions in Great Britain. Van Bekhoven therefore thought that Charles would have great difficulty keeping England together. There was a push for secession between Scotland and Northern Ireland. “It is no coincidence that he is now in Scotland and then immediately traveled to Northern Ireland and Wales to rebuild relations within the Kingdom.”

climate activist

Another big challenge for Charles was his strong opinion of the environment. He is a strong supporter of organic farming and nature is close to his heart. Some people even refer to him as a climate activist. “The Queen didn’t say anything about what she was thinking or what she was thinking. You know exactly where Charles stands.’

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Although the previous king indicated in interviews that he had to rein in the fact that he was now king, Van Bekhoven didn’t think he would be completely silent. ‘I can well imagine that he wants to preside over the international congress on the Brazilian rainforest.’ Van Bekhoven hopes that in any case, this will lead to a discussion of the power of the monarchy. “And of course he could damage the institution of the monarchy with his candor.”

Make a difference

Charles is also old. He is now 73 years old and will therefore only be on the throne for a few decades. “He wants to make a difference, so I think he’s going to work on his legacy from the start.”