King Charles III: What Will His Legacy Be?

On September 8th, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully in Balmoral Palace at the age of 97. The Queen was the longest reigning British monarch of all time, weathering through 70 years of tumult with the influx and efflux of Prime Ministers, the British Empire losing much of its holdings, financial crises crushing economies and wars erupting. Through all those years, her reputation remained largely untarnished. Her steadfastness projected a quiet strength that the United Kingdom could draw from. She lived a humble lifestyle, striving to serve the public, preserve the Commonwealth, and contribute to charities. Her simple yet tasteful pleasures like her hunting expeditions and love of Corgis made her very relatable to the general populace. In public, she was known for her iconic hand waves and elegant fashion that never failed to impress. People revered the Queen for her intelligence, self-possession and sense of duty. For over half a century, she remained a symbol of benevolence for the British monarchy. Her death shocked many and brought skepticism about how her heir, King Charles III who had lived under her shadow for most of his life, would be able to fill in her role. At 73 years old, he would go down in history as one of the oldest royals to ever ascend to the throne. The world can only speculate how King Charles would be able to preserve the monarchy in a modern world where Kings and Queens are antiquated.

King Charles’ age may pose a question for the continuity of the monarchy since younger citizens do not seem to be as staunch supporters as the older generation. According to data from YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, 86% of elderly citizens aged 65 and above have steadily felt positive about the monarchy, while the younger generation seemed much more fickle. In 2015, the majority of citizens aged 18-24 expressed support for the monarchy, but only 35% of them remained supportive just prior to the Queen’s death. Data shows that the volatility of support for the monarchy over the past 40 years is correlated to incidents and scandals of the royal family. For instance, Princess Diana’s death and her alleged mistreatment by the royal family were highly controversial, resulting in a dip in support for

By Nathan Wu | Layout: Aidan Kwong

By Nathan Wu; Layout by Aidan Kwong

the monarchy. On the contrary, the Queen’s first visit to Ireland in 2011, which symbolized reconciliation between the two countries, raised support for the monarchy. More recently, the controversy that erupted from Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan Markle and his later withdrawal from Royal Duties caused the support for the monarchy to reach a record low of 31% among the younger population. Even provided that there are no scandals, the youth of the country’s support of the monarchy is still scant. Interestingly, the middle-aged population tends to have a more positive view of the monarchy than they did when they were 30 years younger. Therefore, not all hope is lost for King Charles. He still has the support of the middle-aged and the elderly, and as Brexit has shown, this group is collectively a more powerful political force than the younger voters.

As the Crown Prince, King Charles had openly expressed his concern and passion for climate change. Unlike the Queen who never accepted any press conferences, Charles attended the 2021 COP26, an annual United Nations Climate Change conference. He was recognized internationally for his involvement in climate affairs. In fact, he and President Biden met to discuss solutions and ways to encounter problems that arise from our warming planet. John Kerry, President Biden’s climate envoy commented, “I hope King Charles will push for action on climate change.” Indeed, King Charles has been active with sustainability to reform the ways industries operate while taking into account the Earth’s limited resources. He established Sustainable Markets Initiative as well as an educational institution called “The Prince’s Foundation” which teaches people sustainable ways of designing and building. He has also expressed his deep views on hedgerows, fast fashion, and organic farming. The King often worries about the world he leaves behind for his grandchildren, and aims to alleviate the burdens that we put on the planet. Many hoped that his role as king would alter the monarchy to being more vocal and passionate about political issues.

Yet, that hope appeared to be short-lived, as King Charles also recognizes his role only as a symbolic head with limitations on the expression of personal views. He withdrew from COP27, a global Climate Change Conference in November despite his recognition at the previous conference. Being the king, he understands that the public does not want a campaigning monarch and that staying vocal about affairs can jeopardize the future of the royal family. In an interview with the BBC in 2018, when asked about how he would serve as king, King Charles responded “I'm not that stupid. I do realize it’s a separate exercise being sovereign…the idea that somehow I'm going to carry on exactly in the same way is complete nonsense.". Despite his pointed response, King Charles has been praised for his wisdom in embracing neutrality. After all, critics have ridiculed him as a “serial hypocrite” for urging the public to cut their carbon footprint while taking a helicopter ride to watch a polo game and taking long rides in a luxury plane after telling the people to end their “age of convenience”. As king, such controversy would not stand.

Gone are the days when monarchs decided on political affairs. Tracing back to history, King Edward VII engineered Entente Cordiale which formed an alliance against Germany, and his son, King George V, insisted on Britain joining the First World War. King Charles faced his first major challenge in the political turmoil surrounding former Prime Minister Liz Truss whose economic policy of reducing inflation and saving the economy by readopting fossil fuels. Indeed, he refrained from offering any comment or opinions on the matter.

Many still argue that the survival of the monarchy depends on its ability to evolve with the changing political sentiment. The strategy of remaining aloof has proven that it would not endear the royal family to the younger generation. Perhaps King Charles should offer his opinion on some of the popular issues, even if technically his opinions have no real political consequences. Doing so would certainly impress the younger generation. The idea of sustainability has risen in popularity over the past decade, as being eco-friendly generates a feel-good factor for many GenZ-ers and has been significantly influential on people’s lives. A recent study by The New York Post even reveals that 92% of people are more inclined to vote for a leader who would enforce regulations to fight climate change. King Charles should be aware that simply taking the same neutral stance that his mother had in the past 70 years might not be as effective now. He should understand that advocating for solutions to climate change would not position him as a controversial person when the large majority of the population shares the same stance. Overall, the survival of the monarchy owes largely to its ability to evolve with the public, so sovereigns should show support for issues that the majority believes is right.

For now, the Queen’s memory is still fresh in people’s minds and the voices for the monarchy to be abolished are almost inaudible. However, the recent political turmoil and the unideal support from the younger generation do seem to suggest that maybe change is needed for King Charles III to step out of his mother’s shadow and bring something to the table. For his own legacy and for his service to the Commonwealth, being more vocal might be his contribution.