The Passing of Elizabeth II: A Short Reflection

The public reaction to the death of The Queen, and the accession of the new King, has been remarkable, and to some extent unexpected in its scale.

The Monarchy seems to have seized the moment to strengthen its bonds with the people as the unifying force in the nation. However, underlying problems remain. Problems linked to independence voices in both Scotland, and to a lesser extent in Wales, voices for Republics in a number of Commonwealth countries where the Monarch remains Head of State, and even in Britain itself republican sentiments or just plain indifference to the institution.

Charles III himself will need to rein in his own political views in order to avoid a potential clash with Parliament. Although, in truth, he himself has acknowledged this.

We will find ourselves at a cross roads. once the public emotion at the Queen's death and the euphoria surrounding having a King for the first time in seventy years, begins to wear off. How the Coronation is staged, as well as its cost, will be a gauge of how far the negative views of the Monarchy have really become a peripheral issue, as well as to how far the Monarchy itself is changing.

The past is certain, the present soon passes, and the future unknown.

Two books for further reading

The House of Windsor, especially The Epilogue, by Michael Paterson

The Invention of Tradition, Chapter 4, by Hobsbawm and Ranger