The King offers a sense of security in his first steps as thousands of Scots pay their respects to the late monarch
King Carlos III took part in religious acts and political gatherings this Monday. He led the procession of his family and soldiers of the Scottish regiments and accompanied Elizabeth II’s coffin from the royal palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral. He received condolences from the parliaments of London and Edinburgh, and took part in his mother’s wake. This Tuesday he travels to Northern Ireland.
The mourning for the death of mere mortals usually begins a few days after the event. The commotion is followed by multiple decisions, red tape, visits, ceremonies and even banquets. His mother’s death at Balmoral has caused more movement, but the succession design by the king and his assistants gives him a few days when the desire for continuity in the institution’s activity seems to overlap with personal mourning.
At the age of 73, he shows energy. One of his assistants has revealed to the British press the diet he is following. Eat fruits and seeds for breakfast. Do not eat. He usually goes for a walk around one o’clock. At five o’clock he drinks tea and sandwiches with his wife Camila. And at 8.30 pm sharp, another hour in Spain, he goes out for dinner, later than his compatriots. The assistant doesn’t reveal what he’s going to eat, but says he will return to his office until midnight to work.
At ten o’clock he went to parliament to hear condolences at Westminster Hall, where his mother’s coffin will remain until the funeral, which will be transported from Edinburgh tomorrow. It was a different act than after the Queen’s accession in 1952. It was then called a ‘motion of sympathy and devotion to the Queen’, but the official notes do not state that the young monarch was present. Winston Churchill was the keynote speaker at the time. It was a speech about the king, his widow and the young queen.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, was the star this time. He recalled that Elizabeth had been invited to commemorate the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89, which inaugurated Protestant supremacy and that of parliament over the crown. Hoyle said there is a British style where Parliament invited the Queen to celebrate a revolution that limited the power of the monarchy.
The king’s speech in response to that of the leaders of the Houses of Lords and Commons also offered no revelations. A new quote from Shakespeare, a definition of parliament, a note of his humility in saying that he hopes, with the help of God and the advice of parliamentarians, to fulfill his resolution to follow his mother’s example. The speech of the retired Boris Johnson is still the best of our time.
The commotion over the death of Isabel II intensely exposes to the world the spectacular rituals and also the frequent boredom in the public activity of monarchs in stable countries. Public acts in such rapid succession also show the endless repetition of institutions and the belief and ambiguity of a varied audience.
Among those who once again filled the pavements of the Royal Mile on Monday were Scots and Britons whose loyalty to the figure of the late Queen and the monarchy led them to attend these events. There are people who want to be direct witnesses of a historical event. There are a lot of tourists in a city like Edinburgh. Spanish voices abound in the Scottish capital today. And there are already people reserving pieces of pavement for the funeral processions in London in seven days.
Two Scots have given their views on the circumstances. Historian Tom Devine, who expressed his support for Scottish independence on the eve of the 2014 referendum and was named ‘Sir’ by the Queen in 2015, believes there is no threat to the monarchy in this transition and Charles III will try to continue his mother’s example.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes the new king will promote “a more informal monarchy”. “In the future it will be a monarchy more like the Scandinavian one,” he said. He believes it because of the king’s desire to be closer to the public since his accession or his project to downsize the Royal House.
Four leaders, including Nicola Sturgeon, who had previously met the King, delivered speeches at the Scottish Parliament’s vote of sympathy. The Prime Minister told the story of a meeting with the Queen in Balmoral, where one of her corgi puppies tried to eat a power cord.
The kilt-clad king responded to the motion with quotes from national poet Robert Burns and strong words of his own. “My mother found refuge and a home in the Scottish mountains and in the heart of her people,” said Carlos III.
It was the intention of the Prince of Wales to tour the British nations immediately after accession. The acts can be excessive and tedious and the speeches are very similar, but the new king offers in his first steps a sense of continuity and security in a country that has been politically turbulent since the financial crisis of 2008.
The King will visit Northern Ireland tomorrow. There will be no courtship or parliamentary sessions there. There is no parliament, dissolved by the refusal of the main pro-British party, the unionist DUP, to maintain the autonomous institutions, while border controls stemming from the agreement with the European Union to make ‘Brexit’ a reality , remain in effect.
Words between the pro-British and pro-Irish parties have hardened and Liz Truss, who took over the British government two days before the Queen’s death, has not yet made it clear whether she will persevere in a confrontation with the EU or the legacy of Johnson in it will change Look. These are questions that cannot be solved by the king.
As Prince of Wales, Charles visited Northern Ireland numerous times and spoke to political leaders who also ran the IRA when he assassinated his godfather and adviser, Lord Mountbatten, India’s last viceroy. Irish Republicans have expressed their condolences on the passing of Elizabeth II. Perhaps the memory of his godfather will accompany him on his first visit to the region as king.
Source: La Verdad
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