historian in an interview
Royal expert Urbach: There will be no sympathy for Charles – he lives lavishly
Queen Elizabeth II and her son and heir to the throne Charles at the opening of Parliament in 2019
© Toby Melville – WPA Pool / Getty Images
Vinay vs Aishwarya, Popularity vs Controversy – Change of Throne from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III. Keeps everyone in suspense. An expert tells us how to classify it historically.
London is currently preparing for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8 September. The new King Charles III will be buried on Sunday evening. Heads of state and members of royal families from around the world are welcome in a reception. It marks the end of the second Elizabethan era as well as the beginning of a new regime. He explained the historical dimension of this change of throne Star Together with the famous historian Dr. Karina Urbach. She categorizes the events of the British royal family in various ZDF programs and documentaries and in May of this year published the biography “Queen Victoria – The Unstoppable Queen”.
Miss Dr. Urbach, what do you think Queen Elizabeth II has left behind as a historian?
Unlike her predecessor of the same name, the queen naturally no longer had any political power. But she was able to make an indirect impact as her country’s first female diplomat. He has been sent on countless allure crimes for 70 years. And as head of the Commonwealth, he once again gained global relevance. An important idea behind the concept of Commonwealth was to correct the mistakes made in the Empire.
Will the new king be likewise successful?
In my view it was a mistake to make Charles the head of the Commonwealth. The Queen insisted on this despite offers to rotate the post in 2018. Instead, it was handed down to Charles only as an inheritance. This gave a wrong signal. And as far as his role as head of state for several Commonwealth countries is concerned, I see several problems in the long term: Australia certainly doesn’t want King Charles as head of state, Canada too soon. Will be shaken, Barbados has said goodbye in 2021, Jamaica wants to go too. Of course, this has sparked debate about Britain’s colonial past.
And how popular is he among the British?
All the sympathy you see now won’t last long. It is controversial in the UK. The king lives lavishly with his six residences and many Britons find it difficult to understand this luxury. We are in a cold winter, energy prices are skyrocketing, inflation is on the rise and the UK is heading into recession. There may be social opposition. Frugality is the order of the day for everyone, and Charles isn’t exactly known for it.
The Prince of Wales appears to be taking a lot after his royal grandmother, unlike his father – will William be able to carry on the monarchy ‘to the next day’?
He and Kate target young people and work on a number of innovative charity projects. Charles desperately needs this couple by his side. It will also be interesting to see if he can downsize the royal family and remove the superfluous – who are underperforming – members. It would be a great opportunity for Charles to offer real reform. For example, he now has the largest private photo collection in the world. He could convert Buckingham Palace into another Louvre and give it to the citizens.
King Charles III. has always kept its focus on environmental protection and sustainability – topics that have been trendy for a long time.
He lives only partially in this green coat that he gives himself. Of course, their six residences cost a fortune and all require heating. He has got a flood of expensive cars which are sometimes even blown up. I wouldn’t call it modern. Always too old-fashioned, he despises modern architecture and suggests building Poundbury, a sort of retro town in Dorset. Living in the past, he is very careful about strict adherence to protocol, heraldry, exquisite clothing and uniform.
With that in mind, have you seen a video of Charles prompting his servants to push an inkwell aside during his proclamation and complaining loudly about a leaking pen in Northern Ireland?
Yes, that was not a good sign. While she is under pressure and grieving for her mother, publicly humiliating the staff was inappropriate. He could have made fun of the situation. The Queen or Prince Philip may have done so.
Let’s look to the future: You mentioned the precarious economic situation for many people, which could worsen in winter. So can Charles even imagine a grand coronation as his mother did in 1953?
Surely that was his original intention. But it will likely be a shutdown coronation. The taxpayer will have to bear a major part of the cost. Everyone is happy to bear the cost of the Queen’s expensive state funeral. He worked hard for this country. But finance another big royal event in a year? Such an idea would be supported only by the staunch royalists.
