How King Charles has managed his difficult first year – The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service
Summary
TLDRThe BBC World Service's 'The Global Story' discusses the first year of King Charles III's reign, which has been marked by significant challenges including health issues within the royal family, political tensions, and the need to redefine the monarchy for the 21st century. The show examines King Charles's approach to his new role, the public's perception of the monarchy, and the impact of events such as the King's cancer diagnosis and treatment. It also touches on the younger generation's relationship with the royal family, the potential for the monarchy to remain relevant, and the future of the institution. The discussion includes insights from royal reporter Sarah Campbell and journalist Robert Hardman, who has written extensively on the royal family.
Takeaways
- 👑 **King Charles III's Reign**: The first year of King Charles III's reign has been marked by significant challenges including health issues, family disputes, and political controversies.
- 🏥 **Health Concerns**: King Charles III and other members of the royal family have faced serious health challenges, with the King undergoing cancer treatment.
- 👨👩👧👦 **Family Dynamics**: The royal family has experienced turmoil, with Prince Harry's book 'Spare' revealing intimate family details and his relationship with the King showing signs of improvement.
- 🎉 **Public Engagements**: Despite health issues, King Charles III has made efforts to fulfill his public duties, with notable engagements such as visiting a cancer hospital.
- 📉 **Popularity and Perception**: There is a generational divide in the public's view of the monarchy, with younger people being less supportive and a growing interest in an elected head of state.
- 👮♂️ **Political Involvement**: King Charles III has had to navigate the line between political advocacy and the neutral role expected of a monarch, especially regarding his environmental concerns.
- 🎈 **Royal Traditions**: The King has continued to participate in traditional royal activities, such as the Easter service, indicating a commitment to maintaining royal customs.
- 🌐 **Media Coverage**: The media has increasingly focused on the King's work and health, with events being more publicly documented, possibly due to the public's interest in the monarchy's future.
- 👉 **Future Events**: Upcoming events like the King's birthday parade and the Commonwealth summit will be key indicators of the King's ability to resume a full schedule and address international issues.
- 👁️ **Public Interest**: There is a heightened public interest in the monarchy's relevance and role in modern society, especially considering its historical connections and the potential for change.
- 👑 **Monarchical Role**: The King's role has shifted from his time as Prince of Wales, with less overt political engagement expected as he now represents a more neutral figurehead.
Q & A
What was the significance of King Charles III's reign being marked by illness, family troubles, and political turmoil?
-The significance lies in the challenges King Charles III faced during his first year as monarch, which tested his ability to redefine the role of the monarch for the 21st century amidst personal and political difficulties.
How did King Charles III's interaction with the public the day after he became King impact the public's perception of him?
-King Charles III's decision to stop his car and engage directly with the crowd outside the palace humanized him and changed the tone and mood on the spot, making a positive impression on the public.
What was the public's reaction to King Charles III's return to public duties after his health concerns?
-The public reacted with a sense of warmth and authenticity, especially as he shared details about his own cancer therapy while visiting a cancer hospital, showing empathy and relatability.
How has King Charles III's health affected his ability to perform his duties as monarch?
-King Charles III has made every effort to perform his duties behind the scenes, but his public appearances were limited until medical advice allowed for a gradual return to a more active schedule.
What was the public's response to the increased visibility of King Charles III's work, such as the budget briefing tradition?
-The public showed more interest in these traditions due to concerns over the King's health, and the increased visibility helped to humanize and demystify the monarch's role.
How did the personal challenges faced by the royal family, including health issues and family dynamics, impact the institution of the monarchy?
-The personal challenges highlighted the vulnerability of the royal family and tested the monarchy's ability to adapt and maintain public support during difficult times.
What was the reaction to Prince Harry's return to the UK following the King's cancer diagnosis?
-Prince Harry's return was seen as a positive step and marked a potential turning point in his relationship with the royal family, as it was well received and conducted privately.
How did the public perceive the commercial ventures of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, compared to Prince Charles's past commercial activities?
-While Prince Charles's commercial activities were seen as charitable, Meghan's ventures were viewed as purely commercial, leading to a different public perception and some criticism.
What is the general sentiment towards the British monarchy among the younger generation?
-There is a generational split, with only 30% of 18-to-24-year-olds believing the monarch is good for Britain, indicating a challenge for the monarchy to remain relevant to younger citizens.
How has King Charles III's relationship with the government been since becoming monarch, particularly regarding his political involvement?
-King Charles III has had to adjust from his previous political engagement as Prince of Wales, taking a more formal and less overtly political role as monarch, following constitutional guidelines.
What are some key events and milestones to watch for in the coming months regarding King Charles III's kingship?
-Key events to watch include the King's public appearances at commemorations like the D-Day anniversary, Trooping the Colour, state visits, and his role in the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa.
Outlines
👑 The Reign of King Charles III: Challenges and Public Perception
Adam Fleming introduces the program discussing the first year of King Charles III's reign, highlighting significant challenges such as health issues, family disputes, and political unrest. The show aims to explore how King Charles has handled these issues, the public's sentiment towards the monarchy, and the future of the institution. Guests include BBC's Sarah Campbell and journalist Robert Hardman, who has written extensively about the royal family. The discussion touches on the King's first public appearance after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and his recent visit to a cancer hospital amidst his own cancer treatment.
🏥 Royal Health Concerns and Family Dynamics
The panel discusses the health challenges faced by the royal family, including King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales. They also delve into the family's personal struggles and the impact of these events on the public image of the monarchy. The conversation includes the King's visit to his daughter-in-law's bedside in the hospital, the return of Prince Harry to the UK following the King's diagnosis, and the release of Harry's book 'Spare,' which offers a candid look at his life within the royal family.
🌿 King Charles III's Political Stance and Environmental Advocacy
The discussion shifts to King Charles III's political involvement and advocacy for issues close to his heart, such as architecture, climate change, nature, and the arts. The panel recalls his past actions as Prince of Wales and how they contrast with his more restrained role as monarch. They also cover the King's approach to climate activism, including his decision not to attend a COP climate conference in Egypt and the subsequent hosting of an alternative event at Buckingham Palace.
🏛 The Monarchy's Relevance and Public Support
The final paragraph focuses on the British monarchy's relevance in contemporary society, addressing generational differences in public opinion and the rise in republican sentiment. The panelists discuss the monarchy's connection to the British Empire and the challenges it faces due to its historical context. They also consider the impact of protests and the importance of the monarchy's ability to remain relevant to the public. The conversation concludes with a look ahead to future events and engagements that will indicate how King Charles III will continue his kingship.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡King Charles III
💡Coronation
💡Health challenges
💡Political turmoil
💡Public duties
💡Monarchical role
💡Royal family dynamics
💡Republican movement
💡Commonwealth
💡COP climate change conference
💡YouGov polls
Highlights
The reign of King Charles III marks a critical turning point for the British royal family, offering a chance to redefine the monarch's role for the 21st century.
The past year has been challenging for King Charles III, with illness, family troubles, and political turmoil affecting the monarchy.
King Charles III's first public appearance after his mother's death demonstrated a new approach by engaging directly with the public, altering the mood on the spot.
The King's recent return to public duties, including a visit to a cancer hospital, showed a warm and authentic side, especially as he is undergoing his own cancer therapy.
Despite health challenges, King Charles has been active behind the scenes and has gradually returned to public engagements as advised by his doctors.
The King's health situation led to unprecedented openness about royal medical details, a new territory for the royal family.
Prince Harry's return to the UK following the King's cancer diagnosis was seen as a potential turning point in their relationship.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure has impacted the monarchy's ability to appeal to a younger and more diverse generation.
The King's relationship with his subjects shows a generational split, with younger people being less convinced of the monarchy's relevance.
King Charles III is known for his interests in areas such as architecture, climate, nature, alternative medicines, and the arts.
The King's approach to his new role has changed since becoming monarch, with less overt political involvement.
The King's commitment to the environment was evident when he hosted an event at Buckingham Palace in lieu of attending the COP climate conference in Egypt.
The British public's view on the monarchy is complex, with a majority still in favor, but an increasing number leaning towards an elected head of state.
The monarchy faces challenges from its historical connections, including its ties to the British Empire and allegations of links to slavery.
The republican movement has become more vocal since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with protests and incidents of public discontent.
Observers will be watching for King Charles III's public appearances and his approach to kingship in the coming months, including major events and international visits.
The King's birthday parade and the Trooping the Colour event will be significant indicators of his health and commitment to royal duties.
An upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa will be a key moment for the King, as it addresses tensions within the Commonwealth on various issues.
Transcripts
Hello, I'm Adam Fleming, and from the BBC World Service, this is The Global Story.
One year ago, the world watched as Britain crowned a new monarch for the first time in seven decades.
The reign of King Charles III was predicted to be a critical turning point for the royal family, a
chance to redefine the role of the monarch for the 21st century. But, what a 12 months it's been. The
year since Charles's coronation has been marked by illness, family troubles, and political turmoil.
Today we'll look at how the King has navigated each of these challenges, how the British people
feel about their monarch, and what does the future hold for the institution of the British Monarchy?
And with me today are my BBC colleague, presenter and royal reporter Sarah Campbell.
Hello, Sarah. Hello to you.
And also joining us is Robert Hardman, who's a journalist who writes for The Daily Mail.
He's a royal biographer whose latest book is called Charles III, New King, New Court,
The Inside Story. And you also co-produced a BBC documentary called Charles III.
Hello, Adam, that's right. Busy man. I mean, Robert, you've covered
the royals for a very, very long time. I think whenever there's a big royal event, I just think
of you sitting there next to David Dimbleby, who presented them for a long time, or Kirsty Young,
who's doing them now. There's literally a thousand years to draw on when we talk about the royals,
but from your time observing them, is there a moment that you think just is the quintessential
'that is Charles, that's who, that's the moment you sort of can pinpoint that's who he is'?
Yeah I think it was the day after he became King actually, we were all still kind of in a state of
national shock after the death of Elizabeth II and he suddenly arrived outside the palace and
he stopped his car outside the gates, didn't drive in, and just plunged straight into the
crowd and it just changed it changed the tone and the mood on the spot it was it was fascinating.
And Sarah the biggest moment in the royal news cycle in the last few days was the King's return
to public duties and he went to a cancer hospital what was that event like to cover?
Yeah well I think there are parallels actually with them with what Robert was talking about
because there was this expectation or concern and there's been so much concern over the last couple
of months about, you know, what's the state of the King's health? What is he going to be like?
So there was, I don't know I think there was a sense of 'what's going to happen?' And then a
real sense of warmth when he immediately, the Bentley pulled up. There had been,
like every royal engagement I've ever covered, there was a big press pack there. You know,
the photographers jostling for position, we were in the midst of lots of skyscrapers, there were
people sort of leaning out of windows trying to get a glimpse of the King. And he emerged from the
Bentley with the Queen and just had this beaming smile and he just looked really happy to be there.
There was an authenticity, wasn't there? Because he was speaking to cancer patients,
talking about their therapy, chemotherapy that they were going through, knowing that he's going
through his own cancer therapy at the moment and sort of giving little details about his treatment,
saying he was going off to have some further treatment later in the day.
What's your take on just how active he's been as a monarch while he's been getting his treatment?
He's made every effort behind the scenes to do what he can but it's only really
in the last few weeks or so that the doctors, everything is obviously down to medical advice,
is what his doctors say he can do. The first time we saw him in public was at the Easter
service on the Sunday when he came out of the service. And that was the first sort of
mini walkabout that he gave. And again, that was another, like the moment at the cancer centre,
that was a really positive sign that they're feeling that he's, you know, able to do this.
I just noticed them sort of bigging up things that had never been bigged up before. So for example,
we had a budget where Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, the British finance minister,
would always go to the palace to brief the monarch on the contents of the budget. We
knew that that was a tradition, but they made damn sure that that was filmed this time and put it out
on social media so you could see him at work. I think, actually, we're more interested in those
things because of the nature of the King's health. It's interesting, though, because the air of
crisis around the King's health dissipated very very quickly.
It was actually the day in January where we had the two announcements within an hour and a half
of each other that first of all Catherine, Princess of Wales, had undergone this major
abdominal surgery and then two hours later we had the fact that the King was having to undergo this
hospital treatment. And so already you're kind of like 'gosh, I don't remember something like that
with two senior members, the most senior members of the royal family'. And then two weeks later,
you have the King's cancer diagnosis. And yeah, then as we know, the following month,
his daughter-in-law as well. So it has been an extraordinary, extraordinarily difficult
time for a family on a personal level, but also for the royal family as an institution.
Robert, with all your years of experience, that moment where it was briefed to journalists that
when both Charles and Catherine were in the same hospital at the same time, and he'd like,
toddled down the corridor in his dressing gown to go and sit at the end of her bed.
Is that a sort of unprecedented kind of level of domestic detail for that family?
I think the whole approach to medical details is just new territory.
Sarah, not to make it sound like the Netflix series The Crown, but at some points plot
lines converged, didn't they? So for example, as soon as the King's diagnosis was announced,
Harry, his younger son, who's in exile in air quotes in California, dashed back. And
actually, that felt like a new chapter in their relationship. And talking of chapters, like Harry
wrote a book last year called Spare, which was basically brutal, like brutal about his family.
It was brutal about his family. Funnily enough, I wouldn't say it was brutal about the King.
Certainly very exposing and gave a level of detail, even if it wasn't brutal detail,
it was still a level of exposure that the Windsors would not like to have there.
I think it was the breach of trust that hurt them more than the actual, I mean, it wasn't brutal,
certainly wasn't brutal about the king or about... Okay, well, I meant more like brutally honest.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was, it'd be, yeah. I think it was quite an affectionate portrait, you know,
he talked about sort of, you know, dear old dad listening to audio books in the bath and
trying to do his best as a sort of single parent. It was affectionate in many places.
But going back to him flying over when the King was diagnosed, I think that did mark a
sort of turning point of sorts. I think it was well received. I think what was particularly
well received is the fact that Harry came, met his dad, went back to California, and it didn't leak.
Here's an interesting little sidebar though. So the big news story lately about Harry's wife,
Meghan, is her producing these jams, which have got a slightly weird name. And people sort of,
like, kind of laugh a little bit about it, although I'm sure she's selling them in droves, so
she's got the last laugh. But yeah, when Charles was the Prince of Wales, he sold like a range of
biscuits, which people thought were really good. And he wasn't pilloried for selling biscuits.
I suppose the key difference is, yeah, the Duchy originals, which were his biscuits were,
apart from being sold in locally and in sort of supermarket chains across the country,
but the proceeds of that were going to a charitable foundation and still
do in fact. Whereas, yeah, the Duchess' new venture is a purely commercial one.
But Sarah, this is the great thing about covering the British royals, is that one
minute you're talking about the health of the King, which is an incredibly serious subject.
And then the next minute you are talking about jam and biscuits, that sort of sums up like,
the sort of weird institution that this is. That is the joy of it. And of course, whether
you talk about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as being royals or not, you know, Buckingham Palace,
they don't comment on them because they're not working members of the royal family. So there
is this kind of weird separation that they are royal, but they kind of aren't royal.
People have been talking about Prince Andrew again. So the King's younger brother who had
been friends with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who took his own life when he was in
prison. And we've been talking about it again because, sorry, another Netflix advert here,
other streaming services are available, because there's a Netflix drama about the big interview
that the BBC did with Prince Andrew that basically led to him being stripped of
his royal duties. Have we had any hints about how the King is managing the Andrew situation?
Well, I guess one might argue, and Robert, I'm happy for you to take this one, The King's been
otherwise engaged, I think, over the last couple of months. So perhaps hasn't been watching Scoop.
I'm not sure. I'm not sure, we'll see. But it's a difficult issue, I think, isn't it for Andrew?
So the Newsnight interview was what, back in 2019, and he had his titles stripped, he's not a working
member of the royal family, but as you say, he's still around because he is, and always will be,
a member of the royal family, he is the King's brother, younger brother. And so at family events,
and I think this is what the public has difficulty coming to terms with the why we're seeing Prince
Andrew, he's not a working member of the royal family, but you will see him at family
events. So the coronation, which was sort of a family event, you've got the Easter service,
he was there, you know, because that is a, you know, a family event. So he will always
be in the mix. And, you know, the King, I would say it's a very difficult issue
to deal with, as I guess it is in families. He's there, he kind of effectively, you know,
he's living in the compound. I mean, he's on the Windsor estate. And anything to do with
public roles, public life, that's over for him. Let's delve into the politics a bit because Sarah,
rewind us back to a few years when he was the Prince of Wales. Actually,
we got quite used to him making, getting involved in politics a bit, like, not in
a major way and not in an overtly political way, but he would make his views known, wouldn't he?
He was very not backwards in coming forwards about putting forward his two penneth,
writing letters to ministers and they've been asked about it, haven't they? And they've said,
well, you know, we got them and we either read them or didn't read them. We appreciated that he,
you know, knew what he was talking about. And that was as far as it went. And I was looking back at
one interview that he gave in 2018, one of the documentaries, and he was specifically asked when
you become monarch, are you going to keep doing this? And his answer was, 'well, that would be,
you know, that would be nonsense. Of course, I'm not going to do that'. It's a very different
role being the heir to the throne and being the monarch. And I think that has been quite
interesting to see that, to see that play out. And in terms of the issues that we knew he
cared about, I'm just thinking off the top of my head, architecture,
climate and nature, and alternative medicines like homeopathy. I would say those to me.
And the arts. And the arts in general, yeah, yeah.
Education, you know. I mean, I remember around about the coronation
interviewing Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of many great musicals like Phantom of the Opera and
Evita, and he was saying, 'oh yeah, one day I got a call from him because he was very worried that
there were not enough people playing the organ anymore and that was something I was worried
about too so we had we had a summit about how to make sure people were still playing the organ'.
He's actually produced or presented his own BBC documentary years ago on Parry the great composer,
the composer of I Was Glad, sort of one of the great coronation pieces.
Although I'm thinking of a time when actually he did seem quite overtly political, and it was
around the COP climate change conference in Egypt in 2022, where we were all assuming that he was
going to go because he cared about climate change, but then Liz Truss, the then Prime Minister,
'her again', sort of vetoed him going, and then he used his convening power
to basically host a sort of almost like rival event at Buckingham Palace a few days before.
I mean, it was very early on, it was shortly after the late Queen had died. So it was really, it was
a real test actually of what the relationship with the government's like. And I think people assumed
that because of his backstory with climate, that he would absolutely be going to COP in
Sharm. And so it was quite a surprise. It was a very interesting judgment call. And ultimately,
it was a case of the King taking the formal advice of his Prime Minister, and that's his
constitutional role but there was also within his circle and certainly at the palace there wasn't a
huge objection because actually, when you become King, where you go first on your very first visit,
like when you're a new US president, huge thought is given to where do you go first because it's
a real statement. You're right at the time it was a big talking point, 'the King's not going,
we know he's fascinated and loves the environment and this is a big thing'. But then a year later,
he did go to COP when it was in the UAE. Unless we rapidly repair and restore nature's
unique economy based on harmony and balance, which is our ultimate sustainer, our own economy and
survivability will be imperilled. Let's try and get a handle on
the king's relationship with his subjects, like the British people.
I think the big split is a generational split. So in terms of the challenges going
forward with the king, and obviously the first challenge is the health challenge,
once that's been sorted. But if you look at the latest YouGov polls, this was September
23. 30 % of 18-to-24-year -olds say the monarch is good for Britain. 30%. So it's not a lot, 30%.
62% overall want to keep the monarchy. So there are issues there. In 2013,
17% wanted an elected head of state. In 2023, it was 26% want an elected head of state.
So although the numbers aren't still going one way, it's a challenge for the monarchy
and it's certainly a challenge I think for the younger generation. I think that's what's been
particularly difficult with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leaving the family, is that actually in
terms of their ability to appeal to a completely different generation and a diverse generation
is that they're now gone for the monarchy. It's never going to be the mob storming the palace
gates that brings the monarchy down it's going to be you know a lack of relevance. It's going to be
people waking up one morning and thinking, 'well, what's the point of you?' So they have to keep
relevant. And particularly when at the same time, you know, the monarchy is seen as representing a
lot of old things that aren't so good. It's seen as, you know, empire, colonialism, there's a whole
debate on, you know, its connections with the British Empire, going further back,
you know, allegations of links to slavery. I mean, all this sort of stuff is a challenge.
But overall, I mean, the settled view of the large majority of people in this country is that
they are content with this system of government. It's totally irrational. Everybody gets that. If
you were starting a new country. You wouldn't start from here.
You wouldn't start a new country, you wouldn't say,
'right, I'm gonna give that family everything, lots of big houses and a crown forever'. You
wouldn't do it but it's where we are. And certainly the republican movement
has been much more active since the death of the Queen in the
sense that now when the King and Queen, when they were out and about you'd quite
often see the yellow flags, you know belonging to Republic. Of course there was an egg I think
thrown at the King. Yes, in York.
One of the when the very early engagements. A yolk in York.
And that all just kind of didn't happen. So there's an increasingly vocal anti...
Although you're right, we did see quite a bit of that in the early days after the change of
reign. I think hardcore republicans thought this is our moment, this is where we've got
to capitalise on the uncertainty. And you did see these protests wherever the King went, you know,
'not my king', but they were small, but they were very vocal, they were very well-organised. It was
their right to be there. They weren't trying to stop them being there. There was obviously
that very questionable incident on coronation day when some of them were arrested for merely
protesting. I mean, that, I think, that upset. Including, I think, someone who'd actually gone
because they loved the royal family. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
They were trying to see them. Oh, the palace were appalled by this it's like,
'why, why, on all this day of all days, don't start arresting the handful of republicans who've
turned up'. It's just, it was an overreaction by the police. I think they're still looking into it.
Right, let's draw this episode to a close. What are some things you will be watching out for in
the next few months to kind of gauge how King Charles is going about his kingship?
Well, primarily it's whether he's getting back onto his summer schedule, whether he appears at
the D-Day anniversary commemorations, whether he's at Trooping the Colour, you know, state visits,
all of that. I mean, I think everything feels a little bit like the coronation year hasn't
really started. It started and then it's been on pause. And so really hopefully looking forward
to getting back and let's not forget that he is King, not just here, but he's head of state
in 14 other realms. Would Australia like to have their monarch come and visit them? Yes,
would all of these other realms? So that was, all of these things that should have been in
the planning that have had to be put on pause, so we want to see the pause button taken off.
Robert? There are some
big ticket events both here in Britain as you say, his birthday parade I think that's very important,
Trooping the Colour as it's known, will he be on a horse or not? I hope he's not. I think he's
more than earned the right to ride in a carriage like his mother did in her later years. But also,
you know, big events, there is a big Commonwealth summit coming up in the Pacific in Samoa in
October. That's a very big moment because, you know, there are all sorts of tensions
within the Commonwealth over everything from historic justice to the environment.
Robert, thank you very much. Thank you Adam.
And Sarah, thanks to you, too. You're welcome.
And thank you to you for watching. If you would like to hear more episodes of The Global Story,
then search for us wherever you get your podcasts.And you can leave comments about
this episode down below. Bye for now.
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