King Charles III turns 75
Charles III with the magnificent Imperial State Crown on his head: the sight was still somewhat unusual when the British monarch recently opened Parliament in London for the first time with a "King's Speech". Although he celebrates his 75th birthday on November 14, he is still a newcomer to the throne. When his mother Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 75th in 2001, she had already been Queen for almost half a century.
But the past year has not been uneventful. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla (76) have now completed three state visits, the Trooping the Color birthday parade and countless receptions. More importantly, more than a year after the death of his mother and six months after his coronation, things have calmed down a little in the House of Windsor.
Harry will probably not come to his birthday
On his birthday last year, the release of the six-part Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan" and his son Harry's (39) autobiography "Spare" was imminent. Both were peppered with unpleasant indiscretions and accusations that dragged the royal family into a maelstrom of negative headlines. Among other things, there were accusations that Harry's wife Meghan (42) had been the victim of prejudice within the royal family because of her partly African-American roots. Harry also made serious accusations against his stepmother Queen Camilla (76) and his brother Prince William (41).
However, the furor gradually died down. However, British media speculated that problem child Harry would probably not be present at his birthday party, which the King wanted to celebrate in private. Although the waves are no longer as high as they were a year ago, a reconciliation is not yet within reach, the Sunday Times quoted a palace insider as saying.
Difficult trip to the former colony
Charles' state visit to Germany in March, on the other hand, was a complete success. The situation was similar in France in late summer. In both countries, Charles addressed the parliaments in the local language, invoking friendship and close ties: it was balm for the souls of the UK's European allies, which had been battered by Brexit.
The recent trip to the former colony of Kenya was somewhat more difficult. Even before the trip, the King was confronted with demands for an apology and reparations for the injustices suffered during the Empire. At the state banquet in Nairobi, he spoke of "terrible, unjustifiable acts of violence against Kenyans". There was no explicit apology. But that was out of Charles' hands. He always travels on behalf of the British government, which has to approve every word of his speeches. Accordingly, there were disappointed voices in Kenya.
His fight for climate protection causes offense
The fact that Charles may be head of state in the UK, but he is by no means always in control of his own actions, became clear last year when the government in London refused to allow him to attend the World Climate Change Conference. The Conservative Prime Minister at the time, Liz Truss, was in favor of exploiting new oil and gas fields in the North Sea and wanted to lift the ban on fracking. A king who called for climate protection did not suit her.
For Charles, an avowed climate activist, this was a humiliation. But Truss has long since been consigned to history and it is already clear that he will be attending this year's COP 28 world climate conference in Dubai. The king's "unique ability" to bring people together has proven to be a powerful tool for finding solutions and inspiring people, according to a statement from the palace.
Although he will now be allowed to speak again at the World Climate Conference, he will neither be able to address nor change the fact that the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has once again scrapped milestones for achieving climate neutrality.
Charles' hands are often tied
This is another reason why the journalist and Royal expert Alexander von Schönburg sees Charles as a tragic figure to a certain extent. During the speech in Kenya, it was "once again clearly noticeable how much his hands are tied when it comes to making a grand gesture in any direction, because he is simply not allowed to do so", says von Schönburg, who published a book this year entitled "Was bleibt, was wird - die Queen und ihr Erbe" (What remains, what becomes - the Queen and her legacy), in an interview with dpa. The sensitive King certainly has great sympathy for the victims of colonial injustice and may want to go further than reasons of state allow him to, believes the aristocrat, who also knows Charles from personal encounters. The situation is similar when it comes to climate change.
Von Schönburg recalls the image of a visit to Charles' hospice a few weeks ago, when the king was presented with a homemade paper crown by a little girl and summarizes: "He is actually a king with a paper crown on."
Source: www.dpa.com
