AIBU in thinking that King Charles' passing will devastate Britain?

[monrymeadows73]

If you remember back when Queen Elizabeth II died, how upset most British people were and how it caused some social insecurity as many British people saw her as a sense of strength and a rock due to her continuity and longevity, but with her gone, they weren't sure how Britain would fare. Hence, the large crowds of mourners and a lot of upset.

King Charles III - though not as admired as Queen Elizabeth was - also has longevity and a sense of continuity in a different way: not as monarch since he's only been in the role for three years, but as a royal figure, i.e. he has been in the spotlight since the 1940s and conducting royal duties since the 1960s. When he dies, will Britain finally feel as though the older generation of royals - who for so long have provided reassurance and comfort to the British people - have gone?

Will this lead to a lot of soul-searching about where next Britain must go and perhaps cause social tensions due to the insecurity of identity? Who will the British look to to guide the nation from then on? Who will be their new rock?

When they donate a patch of their multi acre estates to swiftly build houses for those that need them, when they account for their accumulated wealth as provided by the taxpayer and other sources, easily accessible by all, line by line, and when they have their wills published just like their subjects must, then I will consider having a bit of respect for them.

Until then, I won't shed no tears.

Can you imagine if they did! It would probably be legal to traffic young women

I'd like a republic and then they'd have to pay inheritance tax. Biggest benefit scroungers in the country.

@popcorncake whisky every day !😱
Well it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was a boozer but it contradicts his one meal.a day ?

Exactly. All of those things are done by a huge staff. Something like 60 staff in his office alone. If he's sitting there typing out a load of letters why are we paying for all those people? At most he's signing things or reading things prepared by someone else. Its very easy for Royalists to say 'Oh they do loooods of stuff behind the scenes'. That's not the point of them. They are meant to be seen- to smile and wave, wear fancy clothes for people to gawp at and be basically baubles. What 'secret work' is he doing? He is a public servant. We should know what he is up to. If he doesn't like it he can release his kids from it and end the Monarchy with him. He could give his lifetime as notice to everyone to sort it out. I will bet my house that he wont do it or slim down the cost and privilege of the Monarchy in any way. Just how much he does.

never have I been more thankful for streaming services, it meant I could avoid the whole circus and just watch films of my choice or put Spotify on while I sat and read a book

I'll be more devastated by the millions of pounds they spend to bury him when there's children going hungry and oaps freezing in this country.

I was upset when QE2 died because it felt like the end of an era, an important one that saw the downfall of empire and the marginalisation of Britain on the world stage. A lot changed on her watch. She was the same era (birthday- ish) as my long dead grandparents which resonated with me. My gran loved her.

Charles is a footnote to her reign. He was never going to get long. Even William will be quite old when he takes the throne.

Hopefully we will get a few more years out of Charles as 1) I think he deserves to rule for longer and 2) I have no patience for another state funeral and coronation.

A stranger passing away has no affect on me whatsoever whether it's a celebrity, royalty or a friend of a friend as it's part of life that people pass away at various ages and for different reasons. The only time I am directly impacted is when it's close family/ friends and even then I'm pragmatic about it. I genuinely think the only time I would be torn apart is if one of my dc passed regardless of their age as my mum lost my sister when my sister was 49 and she was never the same after that.

I'm team "Inbred parasitical dimwits". Sorry. I don't wish anyone ill but I don't think we'll be rending our clothes.

No one cares. We have elected politicians who lead the country. Well try to. I have absolutely no respect for any of them. They are just insanely wealthy people faffing around planting a tree or trying to look sympathetic on charity visits. Best way they could comfort the nation is to pack it in and give us a massive refund of the tax payers money they have had.

What an obviously insincere, manufactured question.

Hahaha. No. Defo not.

queen Elizabeth, yes I can understand the statement, but most people don’t really care for him

Were most British people upset when the Queen died? I don’t think most were upset, more that it was just an ‘event’ for a long reigning monarch to die and people like to say something when things like that happen. She had really let herself and everyone down by paying off a victim of her son and not speaking out and a lot of people lost respect for her. She was either a fool to believe Andrew or she was complicit. Nether makes me think well of her.

None of the RF provide reassurance and comfort, quite the opposite with the dreadful goings on in their lives. Anyone looking at the RF for guidance won’t find much good and would do better to look elsewhere.

I do think people will want less money spent on the pomp. I think they’re expecting a more modern monarchy and as that has been talked about, hopefully it’ll happen.

I think the RF are irrelevant to most people.

Yes, you are unreasonable in thinking, etc. etc. etc

I come across many different people from different walks of life, and I'd say the general consensus is the KC is doing a far better job than they expected. Camilla has very much grown on them, and is doing well at what she's doing, but the expectation is that William is going to be great. So I'd expect a tinge of sadness from people that another era is over combined with a bit of excitement at what William will bring.
And most people will only care to hope they get a public holiday for the funeral and/or the coronation.

It always amuses me when people go on about how little work they do.
For a start off, KC is 77yo. The Queen worked until she died aged 96. My parents are a similar age to KC and I can see how much travelling even on holiday takes it out of them nowadays. Would you honestly prefer to keep on working all your life? I'll stick with my life thank you, where I can hope that by 70yo I will not be working and be able to relax and take time doing things for me.

But also, how much do you know about other people's job? I have a colleague who made a comment the other day which showed that she really has absolutely no idea how much or what work I am putting in behind the scenes. I'm not sure she even really realises what I'm doing.
She works in the same office as me; she can see that I'm working when she comes in, working when she leaves and don't stop for long during the day - but she still hasn't a clue what my job entails. I think she thinks she does (hence the comment), but she doesn't.
And that's with doing a similar job to me, and in the same office. I wouldn't presume to know what someone else's job consists of. We do not know exactly what they do, and we don't need to know.

No, you’ve misunderstood-they reverted to their lizard form and feasted on the tender young flesh….

I was a little upset that they cancelled a community event I like to go to because the queen had died, but other than that I didn't give a shit. Old women I don't know die all the time.
People may get upset when queen Charles dies but I doubt the country will be devastated unless he dies in a very large explosion, that I would be upset by.

I keep forgetting he exists 😂. One of my quiz questions in my 2025 round on Friday was, “which member of the Royal family returned to public duties in March?” and the overwhelming majority of teams chose Kate.

What would bring me comfort is fair pay at work (and the public agency I work for is in HIS name but he doesn’t do anything for us except we get an extra day’s leave), functioning public services, and a grip of the COL crisis.

Couldn't give a flying flamingo. vive la Republique!

We do not know exactly what they do, and we don't need to know.

Of course we need to know! They're public servants and we're financing the whole shebang!

It will be significant to me, for sure, though perhaps not with the impact of QEII.
I love my history, so the transition between Sovereigns is always important.

@CatPawsAreCute who is the CEO at the Duchy of Cornwall?

The most costly family in the country in terms of state benefits.
Once Charles goes, it's time to phase the whole thing out like the Scandinavians.

Devastated?! God no. You make us sound like a bunch of servile peasants. I’d be devastated to hear that Stephen Fry had died, or Joanna Lumley, but not Charles. The royals mean nothing to me. Zip, zero, nada, nothing. I feel utter shame every time that bunch of ugly, vulgar, snorting gargoyles appear on TV. They constantly humiliate this country. Harry is basically a chav with a posh accent. In fact, the sight of that prat on American chat shows makes me want to curl up in a ball with shame. I doubt he has ever read a serious book in his life. I doubt that repulsive Andrew has either, or the other one, Edward, or whatever his name is.

That said, I have no ill feelings towards Charles. He strikes me as rather a nice man, actually - probably quite charming and polite. I would be sorry to hear he had died, but no more sorry than I’d be to hear that the nice chap who lives opposite me had died. I also had a grudging respect for the queen, who really did believe in duty (something very rare these days, when people only do things for money). But my national pride is rooted in completely different things. I’m proud of Oxford and Cambridge university. I’m proud to be from the island that produced Shakespeare and Jane Austen and Dickens and Darwin and Isaac Newton. It’s our intellectual and cultural history that should give us pride. I take more pride in P G Wodehouse and David Bowie and Monty Python than I do in the royal family.