Royal exclusive
As the countdown to the Coronation begins, royal biographer and journalist Robert Hardman shares a fascinating insight into what we can expect from the reign of King Charles III and the stalwart support he will have from The Queen Consort
Some parts of the Coronation ceremony date back to the Old Testament, while other elements will be impeccably 21st century. Certainly, Westminster Abbey will never have seen a Coronation featuring representatives from so many faiths – nor so few members of the old aristocracy. In as much as Coronations reflect the personalities of monarchs and the times in which they live, this one offers plenty of glimpses into the character of our new King – and the tone of the reign that lies ahead.
We had a few indications in the immediate aftermath of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Among the crowds that gathered at the railings of Buckingham Palace – where they have always gathered at times of great Royal or national importance – there were very mixed emotions. Some people had come to pay tribute to a great life well lived; others were bereft, in tears and too overcome to speak. The rapidly expanding piles of flowers in front of the gates brought back echoes of those dark days following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Back then, the monarchy had been accused of being detached, remote and out of touch with the public. All that had changed, however, when The Queen eventually returned to the Palace from Balmoral and met the crowds.
King Charles III was not going to allow a vacuum to develop this time; within 24 hours of The Queen’s death at Balmoral, he was among the crowds outside the Palace. Again, the mood changed instantly. That evening, he took to the airwaves with a beautifully pitched address, which even his critics would acknowledge caught the mood of the nation. He then embarked on a tour of the home nations at a pace that took everyone by surprise.
Here was a Monarch in command and control of events, rather than responding to them. In that first speech that he made as Monarch, he had echoed what everyone felt about his mother while also pledging to follow her example ‘throughout the remaining time God grants me’. Those were very telling words, reminiscent of one of his late father’s favourite phrases: ‘Just get on with it.’
In short, Charles III is a king in a hurry. He wants to make the most of what will, self-evidently, not be a long reign, given that he is easily the oldest new Monarch in British history (one whose 75th birthday falls six months after his Coronation).
In 1952, it was more than 10 months before the new Queen broadcast to her people at Christmas. In 2022, it took the new King a day. After her accession in February 1952, it would be more than a year and a half before the new Queen made her first official trip overseas. King Charles III waited a m
