Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Charles is that his first year on the throne was considered boring, banal, and passed without major shocks, a smooth transition from the very long reign of Elizabeth to the novelty of the first new English monarch since 1952. In that sense he may be satisfied, but that does not mean that there are not still important questions about the future of the monarchy. The main one, whether he is going to be a continuityist or reformist king.
There have been no major scandals, no blunders, no street protests, no allegations of political interference, and no departure from the Commonwealth of Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Everything has been quite bland, which from the point of view of an institution as conservative as the monarchy is in principle good. Very good. The more unnoticed it goes, the better. It's an art that his mother and grandfather George VI perfected, and a gene that Charles III appears to have inherited.
63% of British people approve of his management at the moment, but that does not mean that everything is going to be a breeze now that he has completed his first anniversary on the throne. After the trial period, the pressures to modernize and reform the monarchy will increase, and in fact they are already beginning to be felt. Why hasn't he reduced spending, why hasn't he sold some of the palaces, why hasn't he opened Buckingham and its gardens to the public, why hasn't he made the royal household more transparent and put an end to the culture of secrecy, ended the obligation to bow before the monarch and purified the system of granting noble titles? These are some of the demands of the reformist sector, and sooner rather than later it will have to address them.
Carlos III has carried out a partial rehabilitation of his brother Andrés. Far from being definitively purged for his relationship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and for having silenced the accusations of rape and sexual abuse by paying nearly 15 million euros to Virginia Giuffre, the Duke of York was recently taken to mass by car by none other than Guillermo and Catalina, a gesture much commented on in the press. On the other hand, his son Enrique, prince of Netflix and Montecito, remains outlawed, exiled in the Siberia of the Windsors, and does not cease his attacks from California. The latest, the complaint in a new television program that he has lacked the necessary family support structure, first after the death of his mother and then upon his return from his mission in Afghanistan. Any prospect of reconciliation remains remote.
Henry has come to London for the anniversary of his grandmother's death and his father's accession to the throne, but with no plans to see anyone, he is persona non grata. Charles and Camilla will spend today at Balmoral Castle, where just a year ago they said goodbye to Elizabeth II, leaving the official commemoration to William and Catherine, with whom the king has organized a family summit to study the direction of the monarchy on the pillars of the Commonwealth and support for environmental causes. Both, slippery slopes. The first, because it is an organization that has lost most of its international relevance since apartheid ended in South Africa (which it opposed), Barbados has become a republic, and Jamaica is in line to do the same. The second, because it is an increasingly politicized issue, part of the cultural wars, with a significant sector of the population reluctant to spend money to decarbonize the United Kingdom before 2050. To the Palace, no matter how much it supports the fight against change climate, it is not in your best interest to find yourself in the crossfire between one another.
Charles's first year on the throne has passed without commotion, although in the medium term monarchists are concerned about the distancing of young people. Only 28% of the population declare themselves Republican, but 45% of those under 25 years of age say they are in favor of the abolition of the institution and consider it irrelevant or of little relevance. Among those under 50, support is greater but not enough to launch rockets, while the most loyal, by far, are retirees and Britons aged 65 and up. A demographic and generational dilemma.
The image has not been helped by the donation of 1.2 million pounds accepted to Bin Laden's family, or by the good relationship with Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman (murderer of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi), invited to visit the United Kingdom in autumn. That Guillermo did not travel to Sydney for the Women's World Cup final has been widely criticized. After all, what is it for, if not for those things?
Elizabeth II remained on the throne for seventy years, giving the impression that she was at the service of the British people, that sacrifice, a sense of responsibility and respect for tradition were her main contributions and she took them completely seriously. In his first twelve months, Charles III has hidden behind the royal public relations apparatus and has not taken any risks. The six decades preparing to reign have helped him get off to a good start. But the honeymoon is not going to last forever and soon you will have to make more important decisions. Reform or continuity, that is the question.
