A year of mourning has passed after the death of Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022. The United Kingdom and the world mourned the loss of the longest-serving sovereign with seven decades of reign behind her. What are the challenges of Carlos III twelve months after his arrival on the throne?
Low profile. It is the script that Carlos III has drawn up to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of his mother, Isabel II. No celebrations or anything. The 74-year-old monarch has recorded an audio over a still photograph of the monarch, which he has shared on his official account. Carlos remembers “with great affection her long life, her devoted service and all that he meant to so many of us.” And he continues in a calm voice: “I am deeply grateful for the love and support my wife and I have received this year.”
In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.
I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during… pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023
Elizabeth II, pop icon
Queen Elizabeth II, a pop icon of the last century and a country brand, made the institution a global tourist attraction. Her image, along with that of the Beatles, the pound or the flag are symbols British. They are a country brand. They are essence. The British adored her and that is the biggest challenge her successor can face. The affection of the people. On a more personal level, Carlos III must work on the integrating role that he has to play. Rebuild broken family ties and build bridges.
Isabel celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in style in 2022 and then left. She was 96 years old. It was her first anniversary on her Throne without her husband, who passed away in 2021. Philip of Edinburgh was her life partner for 73 years. In what was her last Christmas message, dressed in red, a color that is the color of passion and resistance, she remembered her husband like this: “Life is made of both final farewells and first encounters “.
His reign was the longest in the history of the United Kingdom. February 6, 2022 marked the 70th anniversary of his accession to the throne. At just 25, the queen inherited the crown. She did so after the short reign of her father, King George VI, who died at the age of 56. The monarch was not born to reign and as a child she was not prepared for it. Her path to her throne was opened when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in favor of her brother, Elizabeth’s father.
Elizabeth II died after the 30th anniversary of the ‘Annus Horribilis’
In his career on the Throne, there is a year that made the front pages of the world’s newspapers and which, more fatally, coincided with his 40th anniversary at Buckingham: 1992, “the annus horribilis” of the British monarchy. They were the words that Elizabeth II chose for her speech. “1992 is not a year I’ll look back on fondly. It’s turned out to be an ‘Annus Horribilis’. I guess I’m not the only one who thinks so.” Her historical phrase to summarize the family crisis, with the divorces of her children, Ana, from Captain Mark Phillips; and Andrew, by Sarah Ferguson. The marriage of Carlos and Diana de Gales was failing. And to top it off, the Windsor fire. The storm raged over the heir’s marriage. The press dubbed the separation the Camillagate (for the romance of the prince and Camilla Parker-Bowles).
In 1995, Diana, tormented by her husband’s love for Camilla, uttered the historic words “In my marriage there were three of us” in the famous and criticized interview with the BBC. The princess remembered her wedding, in 1982, as “the worst day” of her life; Walking down the aisle, she revealed that she felt “like a lamb headed for slaughter.” 700 million viewers followed the worldwide broadcast on TV.
Faced with these relentless revelations from her daughter-in-law, the Queen gave up her losing fight to keep a marriage together and agreed to a divorce. Shortly after, on August 31, 1997, Diana died in a tragic car accident in Paris, leaving Guillermo and Harry orphans.
Buckingham’s culture of silence is broken
The death of the princess shocked the United Kingdom, which rose up clamoring to give her a state funeral in her memory. Those were the most difficult days for Elizabeth II, who was allergic to showing emotions in public. Buckingham’s culture of silence fell apart and in the end, she had to give a speech, the first she had ever given live, and she did it as a mother and grandmother, not as a monarch. The same silence that broke when her grandson Harry and Meghan Markle accused the House of racism. It was in 2021, in the interview that the Sussexes gave Oprah Winfrey after her decision to leave the royal family, her famous step back. Isabel had to show her face.
The challenges of Carlos III
Isabel has always shown her face and has known how to get her messages across. She has handled social communication masterfully. The Firm, always above all things. Elizabeth II was the grandmother of the nation. She had earned it by right. It is the turn of her son, who does not enjoy the sympathies of the monarch. Now here near. We will see how Carlos III handles communication and if he manages to ensure that Camilla enjoys the social acceptance that both would like. We will also see if he manages to structure the family. If he achieves a rapprochement with his prodigal son, Harry. In the photo, at his coronation on May 6 of this year.
