On May 6, King Charles was crowned as the royal monarch of the United Kingdom. His coronation was the first one in nearly 70 years. Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and Charles had been the longest-waiting heir to the throne.
The media has been highly critical of Charles in the past, specifically after his infamous split with Princess Diana. In recent years, however, the press has grown increasingly supportive of Charles.
In addition to the past drama surrounding Charles’s romantic life, a family feud has been heavily covered by the press. Prince Harry, Charles’s younger son, has broken off several relationships with the royal family. With the release of a Netflix documentary series and a memoir, Prince Harry lambasted the royal family and painted Buckingham Palace negatively.
Before being crowned, Charles had been outspoken about his commitment to environmentalism, raising grave concerns about climate change through his public platform. Since becoming monarch, Charles has become more neutral and apolitical.
On Nov. 7, Charles delivered his first King’s speech at the State Opening of Parliament, in which he outlined his priorities for the future. Crime and justice were major components of the speech, as the British government has recently introduced several bills to increase safety. A sentencing bill will require life sentences for rapists, and they cannot be released early from a lifetime sentence. Additionally, law enforcement will be given more access to personal data through an investigatory powers bill.
A tobacco and vapes bill will help plans for a phased ban on smoking. The government has already introduced a new law to stop children under the age of 14 from being sold cigarettes. There will be further regulations to help prevent the promotion of vapes to children.
“My government will introduce legislation to create a smoke-free generation,” Charles said.
With Charles’s first birthday on the throne occurring on Nov. 14, many birthday festivities have taken place. A new stamp collection celebrating Charles’s connotation has been released to coincide with his birthday.
Charles’s birthday also marked the official launch of his Coronation Food Project. The project is designed to fix two problems — the issue of increasing numbers of people unable to afford food and surplus food being thrown away. The project helps connect surplus food with food banks, creating a larger supply of food for those in need.
“For many years, I have been deeply concerned about the amount of food which goes to waste across our nation. At every stage of the food production process, millions of tons of food are sadly discarded,” Charles said.
In recent years, the monarchy has grown increasingly out of touch with the younger generations. Attitudes differ dramatically by age, and the elders back the crown significantly more.
In recent polls, 55% of UK young adults under 25 claim they don’t consider the royal family a good source of leadership— those aged 55 or older poll at 36%.
In 2013, attitudes were much different, as about 72% of those aged 18-24 supported the monarchy. Royal events such as Prince Harry and Meghan cutting off ties and Prince Andrew’s Jeffrey Epstein Scandal have certainly contributed to these divisive negative attitudes by age demographic.
King Charles III has started on a cautious and successful path so far. He has created little drama and avoided controversy since starting. Although he has large shoes to fill, only time can tell how the new monarch will hold up.
