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Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96 years has been buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where her late husband Prince Philip and her sister Princess Margaret are also interred.
For the past week, normal life in Britain effectively has been put on hold as the country observed a National Mourning period for reflection in response to the demise of the Sovereign who had devoted her entire life to the service of her country.
Her son, now King Charles III who also goes down in British history as the oldest and the longest-serving heir apparent, began his reign as soon as his mother passed and is understood to want a slimmed-down official royal family to reduce the cost to the public purse.
The 73 years old King has promised to “faithfully” follow the examples set by his mother, but he is also expected to be unique and a unifying figure for all parts of Britain. As Prince of Wales, Charles was outspoken about several issues that were important to him, but as King, he is expected to maintain political neutrality.
Last year, speaking at the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, he warned that the time for addressing climate change had “quite literally run out”. In order to tackle the problem, he said, “We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.”
In relation to the Commonwealth realms, it is hoped that King Charles III will be more conscious of societal changes and modernise relations with Commonwealth countries. As Prince of Wales, he commented at the Commonwealth’s Heads of Government meeting in Kigali how the legacy of slavery needed to be confronted.
The former Prince of Wales in his Easter message earlier this year, covertly criticised former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s immigration policy that sends all asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing when he expressed concern about the “unutterable tragedy” of those who had been “forced to flee their countries and are “in need of a welcome, of rest, and of kindness.”
During a news conference following the death of the Queen, Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria Ben Llewellyn-Jones said King Charles III was personally vested in Nigeria, having visited the country four times since 1990 and will strengthen the relationship between both countries.
In his first public address as the new Sovereign on September 9, King Charles III acknowledged that his life will change as he takes on his new responsibilities when he admitted: “It will no longer be possible to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I cared so deeply”.
There is also the task of changing and updating everything – from images of the queen on flags, stationery, stamps, and currency to legal mentions of Her Majesty, which will cost the country a fortune to implement within a short period of two years amidst rising inflation.
Whichever direction the King goes, his actions regarding how to refashion the monarchy and maintain public support for it as a ceremonial institution at the centre of British public life will be closely monitored and weighed against the record established by Queen Elizabeth II.
The coronation ceremony where the King is officially crowned will likely take place sometime next year, according to speculations, because of the preparation required. Queen Elizabeth II’s took place in June 1953, 16 months after she ascended the throne in February 1952.
Upholding years of tradition, the coronation ceremony which is typically a state event will hold in Westminster Abbey where William the Conqueror was crowned and King Charles III will be the 40th monarch to be crowned there. Being a state event, the government pays for it and ultimately decides the guest list.