a critical job at an age when all your friends have already retired? No king has ever come to the throne at such a ripe old age as Charles, who will be 75 in November. There were those who predicted


There were those who predicted Charles would be little more than a stopgap king, merely keeping the throne warm for his son William. After eight months, he has already shown that this is not going to be the case.


that he would be little more than a stopgap king, merely keeping the throne warm for his son William, the new Prince of Wales, and his photogenic young family. However, eight months into his


reign, which began immediately af- ter the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth last September, he has al- ready shown that this is not going to be the case. For, just as Elizabeth broke the


record for the longest reign, so Charles had also set a new record as the longest-serving heir apparent to the throne. He spent those long years in re-


serve, giving plenty of thought to his plans when his time came. The result is a new regime that,


while faithful to most of the tradi- tions of the old, is clearly going to shake things up. So, what do we know so far? First, King Charles is a monarch


in a hurry. He knows that his will not be one of the longer reigns in history. In those immediate hours after


the death of his mother, he moved fast to fill a leadership vacuum. Britain had changed its prime


minister just two days before with the departure of Boris Johnson and the arrival of Liz Truss. As a result, many were feeling a general sense of a rudderless nation. However, the following evening,


the new king broadcast to the nation with a speech that, as even his critics acknowledged, lifted the mood. Indeed, polling immediately af-


terward showed that 94% of the pub- lic thought it was a “good” speech. He paid full tribute to his mother, but also showed that he himself had a plan. “She made sacrifices for duty,”


he said. “In her life of service, we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which make us great as nations. The affection, admiration, and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign.” He went on: “As the queen herself


did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitution- al principles at the heart of our nation. “Whatever may be your back-


ground or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love, as I have throughout my life.” In alluding to the “remaining time


God grants me,” he was acknowledg- ing that the clock is ticking. When Elizabeth II came to the


throne in 1952, 10 months passed before she made her first broadcast and her subjects heard the voice of their new monarch. In the case of Charles III, it took just one day. Similarly, the first duty of ev-


ery new monarch is to attend what is known as the Accession Council, a special meeting of the Privy Council (comprising senior politicians present and past), where the accession of the


Robert Hardman has been one of the foremost observers of the British monarchy for 25 years and is author of the bestseller Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II. As a columnist for the Daily Mail, he has covered more than 60 royal tours worldwide.


64 NEWSMAX | MAY 2023


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