It will be hard not watch it on tv. I agree with Charles' conservation/nature values and we have based our shop window competition for children on that.
Do we need the royal family? I think so but it needs reform. The history and pageantry everyone seems so keen on has resulted in the hideous class system we have today where the young Duke of Westminster for example, owns half of London for doing nothing at all except to be born into the Grosvenor family. The Grosvenor family is not related to the royal family by blood yet they benefitted from royal patronage, as have so many landed gentry. This is at root of the huge divide between the mega rich and the rest of us. Modernise the royal family! Modernise the house of lords!
I think that when the late Queen came to the throne there had been two world wars, a couple of short- reigning monarchs and an abdication, and, given that the Queen was so young, a decision was taken to carry on doing things as in her father’s and grandfather’s time for the sake of continuity and stability.
King Charles was PoW for most of his lifetime and has had time to see how things can be changed for the better in order to bring the monarchy more in line with current thinking.
I suspect that his reign, which is likely to be relatively short, will involve quite a lot of modernization that would have happened much earlier had the Queen not lasted as long as she did, and which are now long overdue … thus setting the stage for William to take over when the time comes, as a much more modern monarch with a slimmed down royal family, more like other more ‘low key’ European royal families.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Interesting that apparently all the Dukes etc are ‘right miffed’ that they’re not being invited to the coronation and won’t be parading around in their ermine … Charles is sidelining them as irrelevant 👍
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I can assure you that nobody in the western world envies the UK at the moment. Coronation or not. And please stop with the old chestnut that the monarchy brings tourists.
@coccinella I agree that most people who live outside (and some inside) the UK have a foggy imagination what the UK monarchy is but constitutional lawyers in Europe envy the UK for its very simple way to run the State.
London was the most visited capital in Europe, the Union Jack is a symbol and there are only two people in the world that are known worldwide: the Pope and the Queen.
In this day and age of cost of living crisis, How any one can plan to spend so much money when so many people are suffering I do not know, even the government are wasting eight million pounds by supplying pictures to council offices around the country, It shows that we are overcharged on council and other taxes.
I agree with @Dovefromabove 's remark that this (probably) relatively short reign is likely to see some major updating in the way the monarchy conducts its affairs.
Charles seems to be far more sensitive to the needs, problems and issues affecting the working class person and more determined to step in and get his hands dirty than any of his predecessors. He has tried to make a difference where he can with initiatives such as the Princes Trust but one person can only do so much. I suspect he has lived his whole life with one hand tied behind his back when he's wanted to step in and 'do' things.
William seems to be even more in touch with 'real life' and I believe they both want a working 'organisation' that is altogether more relevant and beneficial to the whole country.
I think our monarchy will be significantly slimmed down over the next 20 years but really hope we don't lose the pageantry and displays which attract so many tourists each year and which are so much a part of our history.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Posts
Do we need the royal family? I think so but it needs reform. The history and pageantry everyone seems so keen on has resulted in the hideous class system we have today where the young Duke of Westminster for example, owns half of London for doing nothing at all except to be born into the Grosvenor family. The Grosvenor family is not related to the royal family by blood yet they benefitted from royal patronage, as have so many landed gentry. This is at root of the huge divide between the mega rich and the rest of us. Modernise the royal family! Modernise the house of lords!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I ♥ my garden.
Charles seems to be far more sensitive to the needs, problems and issues affecting the working class person and more determined to step in and get his hands dirty than any of his predecessors. He has tried to make a difference where he can with initiatives such as the Princes Trust but one person can only do so much. I suspect he has lived his whole life with one hand tied behind his back when he's wanted to step in and 'do' things.
William seems to be even more in touch with 'real life' and I believe they both want a working 'organisation' that is altogether more relevant and beneficial to the whole country.
I think our monarchy will be significantly slimmed down over the next 20 years but really hope we don't lose the pageantry and displays which attract so many tourists each year and which are so much a part of our history.