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?

Erm no. Even those like me who don't support having a royal family QE2 was a stately figure that helped bring in diplomatic deals etc. So I think she earned her stripes but no. Not the rest of them

In some ways, I think it could be a good thing when William becomes king - I think he will bring in a far more modern, slimmed down monarchy - one that suits this country in the 21st century. Charles is slimming it down a bit, but he is too old to really change, imo. He has been raised within the very formal pattern of monarchy, whereas William’s style is more casual or smart-casual - and I think we need the latter style nowadays.

Let's just hope! I doubt William will do anything apart from pension off/remove titles of a few Royals, then sit back, take in many many millions for few royals, and do less work. That will be his version of 'slimming down'.

Is 'modern' putting out saccharine sweet videos welcoming in each season and urging us to hug a tree... instead of actual visits anywhere?

No.

I don’t think the passing of any monarch will ever be as significant as the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Kate we know it's you. Good effort tho.

Erm no. Even those like me who don't support having a royal family QE2 was a stately figure that helped bring in diplomatic deals etc.

🤔

He'll have to do the onerous work of going to the football ( only the mens) and Kate will have to force herself to sit in the Royal Box at Wimbledon too!

William’s style is more casual or smart-casual

I don't disagree, but therein lies the problem.

You can't realistically (in an ethical sense) have a smart casual monarchy raking in the multi millions every year that he in no way is going to want to reduce.

I see him reducing the monarchy by fully offloading Harry and his family. Other than that he'll keep the older ones till they die, and probably won't have any problems with B, E, J and L and even Z, picking up whatever they want to in future years, if they're at loose ends and want an easy lifestyle at our expense, as it'll save him the bother of doing stuff himself.

So many people have high hopes of W reforming things despite the fact there is next to zero evidence of that (apart from him wearing more casual clothes).

I will believe in a 'slimmed down' monarchy when they slim down the money.

Oh look a flying pig.
Never going to happen.👍

Did you see the second part of the Dimbleby programme yesterday? They apparently have to charge market rates by law, so why dont they pay corporation tax on any of their commercial interests?

Currently about a third of the way through the programme and haven't reached this yet but this would have definitely have been a question worth asking along with a clarification on what is meant by the weaselly worded 'private estate with a commercial imperative'.

Maybe Dimbleby could also have asked why despite the poor things having their arms twisted to charge market rates it doesn't appear to be feasible to pay certain said market rents (namely charities and public bodies) back from what has become private income we're assured is theirs to do with as they wish.

As an aside I saw the fascinating segment concerning E2 straining to exempt herself from legislation which might have revealed her embarrassment of riches to the peasants.

Goodness, that woman was a canny advocate for 'firm first'

Even more canny in cultivating and promoting her image as the nation's cuddly Granny.

I think he will bring in a far more modern, slimmed down monarchy

Where do you think a slimming down might occur?

If we discount the enforced slimming brought about by scandal, illness and flouncing we are left with Anne and Edward already in their 60's and 70's and doing barely a couple of months FTE as it is, the Tindalls, Phillips and Yorklets chasing anything that'll pay because they're not on the official payroll and.... well, hmm.

Maybe we're talking a significant reduction in the number of forever homes 🤓

The only slimming down hes said he's doing is to his already pretty nonexistent workload! Not sure what the kids are going to be doing!

Unless William really deals with the wealth and privileges questions, I don't see how the monarchy can survive. We should all be furious that we have been and are being ripped off, with a family enriching itself from rents paid by public institutions. I would like to see some philanthropy from the monarch - house building, playing fields, swimming pools, concert halls, permanent schemes to develop music and sport for young people - rather than the avaricious and obscene hoarding of money for money's sake. It sits uneasily that Kate has made her life's work the importance of the early yarz when 1/3 of children in the UK live in poverty and the Duchy of Cornwall could be funding hundreds of Sure Start centres. I'd rather keep the monarchy than not and hope that William has the wit to make this important when his time comes.

They say only bad kings cause change so maybe he'll carry on being bone idle and will be forced to change.

I can't think of anyone who would care more than to look up from their phone and say to their spouse "Oh Charles has died!" to which their spouse would reply "Yeah I saw. Do you fancy a cuppa?" And then life would move on.

Billy Idle will “slim down” the monarchy but he’ll still have his nose in the trough.

Yes , it will. Because of all the inheritance tax he won't pay!

Fully agree.
Anyone who really cares about the environment would adjust their lifestyle to reduce their own carbon footprint - talking about the environment while having the carbon footprint of a small nation is farcical and hypocritical.

That’s certainly true as far as I’m concerned. I think of him as being King Prince Charles.

And when people refer to the Duke of Edinburgh or the Princess of Wales, I’m really flummoxed. It takes me a good 30 seconds to work out who they might mean. I’m not sure if there’s still a Princess Royal, but if there is it’s probably Princess Anne.

And they do love dressing up so much.

People on her talking about the royals like they know them, They are an image created by others. They don't decide anything. They have their decisions made for them in the 'best interests' of the nation.

This is a really insightful post and I think IdaGlossop has hit the nail on the head.

There is a fundamental credibility issue with the RF and their charity work when there remains such a huge disparity between their enormous wealth and number of properties, and the people they are supposed to serve.

According to the Joseph Rowntree foundation, around 4.3 million children (30%) live in relative poverty in the UK. Would a talk board about child poverty attract as many posts as the RF board? We are focusing on the wrong things.

I think even if they kept their priv a te estates and were hugely wealthy but paid income tax and corporation tax and cgt like everyone else and didnt get special favours around legislation they would have nore credibility. The fact that they take more and more money in return for apparently charity when they don't payvtheir fair share makes everything they do lack credibility. So The late Queen banging on at the Cop 22 i think about people ' saying but not doing' on the environment while she demanded exemptions from environmental legislation, bought her grandson a helicopter to whip around in and has a family with a carbon footprint nearly 1000 times that of a typical family. William again banging on about the environment and homelessness while issuing mining rights in Cornwall, buzzing about all over the place in helicopters, Kate talking about earky childhood while hoarding acres of public space. Environmental protections, homelessness and early chilhood issues need money to solve. Money for rehab, money for childcare and education, public spaces etc. Money they are not willing to pay. Im glad a light is being shone on them because its the only way they will be forced to change. Not a sense of duty or philanthropy. Just a risk they will be chucked out.

We should all be furious that we have been and are being ripped off, with a family enriching itself from rents paid by public institutions.

I fully agree yet the double dipping doesn't seem to have been absorbed into the public consciousness.

When I refer to it here there is usually at least one poster who is rightly outraged by it yet hadn't been aware of it 😬

W presumably hoping to fob off disquiet by waiving a magnificent £10k in rent to grass roots organisations doesn't really cut it 🙄