Saturday May 6, 2023: the date is historic.
On this day, Charles will receive the anointing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will give him the two royal scepters, the orb and the cape, then place the crown on his head under the eyes of his wife, Camilla.
But who really is Charles III?
In the columns of the tabloid newspapers, in the chronicles on television and on the radio, we hear everything about the new king of England, long seen as a "son of", then "husband of", "lover of" , and finally "father of".
The Franco-British Philip Kyle, he worked for the foundation of Prince Charles at the time, The Prince's Trust, where he took care of relations with the press.
Before working in the communications department of the BBC, then heading that of the international news channel Euronews.
Charles III
(Editions Perrin).
In video, coronation of Charles III: the program of the three days of festivities
His personality, his passions
Madame Figaro
.
- What are the main personality traits of Charles III?
Those that the general public ignores?
In terms of behavior, he gave a glimpse of the personality of a child king, of a man disconnected from reality who asks to have his shoelaces ironed on him… Are we mistaken?
Phillip Kyle.
-
I worked for almost three years at the foundation created by the then Prince Charles, The Prince's Trust.
I was not his collaborator, I did not work at the Palace.
On the other hand, I was able to learn more about this public figure, and there is one false thing: the idea according to which he would be disconnected from reality and from people.
This organization founded by the current king works to integrate and reintegrate young people into society, particularly through work.
And during events that we used to organize, I was impressed to see how the man who was then only Prince of Wales managed to connect with these young people, obviously nervous to meet him and often from backgrounds radically opposed to his.
Charles III is someone
one of very empathetic, who feeds on exchanges with those he meets to form his opinions and guide his action.
Witness all his years during which he multiplied fights for youth, the environment, social diversity...
Charles III shares a cup of tea while visiting the Talbot Yard Food Court.
(Malton, April 5, 2023.)
James Glossop / AFP
Read alsoThe 1514 gates of Buckingham, his diary and his superstitions: 25 things to know about Charles III
Does he owe his personality to his upbringing, which is often described as “roughing it”? We know in particular that Charles was sent to boarding school in Scotland, far from his family...
We often criticize the education he received, but we must put ourselves in the context of the 1950s: as in all British aristocratic families, the parents were less present than today in the education of the children.
It was not unique to the Windsors.
Elizabeth II still spent time with Charles when he was a young child: 30 minutes in the morning, 1h30 in the evening.
His father, Philip, was little present to him in the first years of his life because he was stationed in Malta (in the navy).
But when Elizabeth II became queen, she somehow delegated the raising of the children to her.
It was thus the Duke of Edinburgh who decided to send Charles, a teenager, to boarding school in Scotland in an attempt to “toughen him up”.
Charles does
Charles was perhaps not very close to his parents but nevertheless had other figures to cling to...
Yes, in particular the Queen-Mother to whom he was very close, and this until her death in 2002. She gave him a lot of affection and transmitted to him an intellectual curiosity and a sensitivity to the arts.
Charles has long been portrayed as an absent, distant father.
Faced with Diana, more spontaneous and warm in public, difficult to compete
Philip Kyle
They say he is a man with a great sense of humor. Is it true ?
Absolutely.
I like to tell this anecdote: while I was working for The Prince's Trust, I was, one day at Clarence House, introduced to Charles who asked me: "What are you doing in my foundation?"
I tell him that I take care of relations with the press.
He then sketches a smile and exclaims, with the humor that characterizes him: "No luck!"
Typical of Charles' very British and tongue-in-cheek humor.
Although he is more popular since his accession to the throne, Charles has long enjoyed more or less mixed popularity...
Unfortunately in the 1980s-1990s, we witnessed what is called the "war of the Wales”, which the tabloids reveled in, and which portrayed Charles as an absent, distant father.
Wrongly.
The problem is that opposite, there was Diana.
She was more spontaneous.
We saw her more easily kissing her children in front of the cameras, she was very warm in public.
Difficult to compete... After the death of the Princess of Wales, opinion was more lenient towards Charles.
The British saw him as a father present for his two sons.
Elizabeth II was passionate about her corgis and hunting. What are Charles' passions?
He is an extremely intellectually curious person.
He is interested in many things.
When he was young, he was passionate about theatre, literature, Shakespeare in particular.
He is also very fond of music, a passion he inherited from his grandmother, the Queen Mother.
A great music lover, he also helped Kate, William, Harry and Meghan to choose the music for their respective weddings.
Finally, he also played a lot of polo.
Then, he turned his interests into battles: the environment, rurality, or even classical architecture… But Charles remains a traditional person in his tastes.
Tony Blair, when he became Prime Minister in 1997, wanted to project a modern image of the UK, a reflection of the 'Cool Britania' philosophy that
he intended to embody.
For this, he wanted in particular to transform the
London skyline
with new projects imagined by modernist architects.
Charles fought, with mixed success, against these buildings which, for him, distort the city and its harmony.
Camilla, his wife, his battle
Queen consort Camilla and Charles III.
(Windsor, April 9, 2023.) Getty Images
His couple with Camilla, can we say that it will have been as much his strength as his burden?
Camilla has long been his strength.
Their love story is quite amazing and beautiful.
I don't think Camilla could ever have been his 'burden', even though Charles was in great pain when she was dragged through the mud.
Years later, he did everything to legitimize it.
The first step was marriage, despite more than mixed public opinion.
Finally, time has done its work, Camilla is committed to certain subjects in a sincere way, the fight against violence against women in particular.
She's not a person who wants to be in the spotlight, she didn't want to be a duchess or a queen, just to be with her husband.
The British understood it well and ended up accepting it: Elizabeth II was thus able to publish this press release in February 2022 saying that
upon Charles's ascent to the throne, she wished Camilla to take the title of queen consort.
When you see how far you've come, it's almost Hollywood.
The love story of Charles and Camilla
In images, in pictures
See the slideshow14 photos
See the slideshow14 photos
Its commitments
Charles III
has been committed to the environment for decades.
Where does he get his environmental beliefs from?
The Windsors love rural life and nature.
This applies both to hunting and to environmental protection, which may seem contradictory.
We can mention in particular all the work done by Prince Philip with the WWF (
he was one of the main patrons of the WWF, but also the voice, the defender and one of the leaders of the organization since its creation, Ed.
).
Charles was also influenced by the teachings of his mentor, Laurens van der Post, an author and documentarian.
The latter, a disciple of Carl Jung, was particularly interested in the relationship between man and nature,
He is eminently more political than his mother. Will his voice count on the English political scene?
Yes, but it should be noted that if he has always expressed himself a lot on subjects considered political, he has never let appear a partisan commitment.
Now king, he will not make public outings that could put the British government in trouble.
That said, he now enjoys greater influence as head of state and he can send messages through his travels, or through the events he organizes at the Palace.
We remember that Liz Truss, then Prime Minister, had asked him not to go to COP 27. Charles instead organized on the eve of the COP a meeting of political and economic leaders and heads of NGOs on the subject of ecology at Buckingham Palace.
Finally, he sees his role as someone
one that can, given its aura, bring together those able to make decisions, especially on the subject of the future of the planet.
Especially since in his new role as sovereign, he has the privilege of having one-to-one meetings behind closed doors with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom every week... According to the adage, the sovereign has the right “to be informed, to encourage and to warn”.
I like to imagine that Elizabeth II used the first two rights during these weekly meetings but less than that of warning.
Unlike Charles III who should not deprive himself of it.
having one-to-one meetings behind closed doors with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom every week... As the saying goes, the sovereign has the right to "be informed, encourage and warn".
I like to imagine that Elizabeth II used the first two rights during these weekly meetings but less than that of warning.
Unlike Charles III who should not deprive himself of it.
having one-to-one meetings behind closed doors with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom every week... As the saying goes, the sovereign has the right to "be informed, encourage and warn".
I like to imagine that Elizabeth II used the first two rights during these weekly meetings but less than that of warning.
Unlike Charles III who should not deprive himself of it.
Charles III and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace.
(London, October 25, 2022.) Aaron Chown / AFP
His reign
Did Charles really dream of becoming king? Is it true that he spent a lifetime waiting to ascend the throne?
The moment of ascending the throne can be a very difficult personal experience for the new sovereign who becomes head of state the moment his relative dies.
On the other hand, I do not understand the doubts expressed with regard to his desire to become king.
He never thought of ceding the throne to William, as we have heard.
All his actions show his will to act and to concretize the fights of his life.
Charles was very well prepared to be king.
Charles ascends the throne at the right time for him and for the UK
Philip Kyle
Becoming king at 73 leaves little time to turn things around. Isn't it already too late?
I find it very interesting that Charles became king at the age of 73.
Whether short or long, this reign should not be uninteresting.
Charles did not have a simple life;
it enjoyed a sawtooth popularity… But today it has acquired a certain wisdom, serenity and experience.
So maybe he ascends the throne at the right time for him and for the UK.
Is his start to his reign a success?
It's a bit early to tell, but what I note is that he has been dubbed and approved by British public opinion.
Exceptional thing when we remember her unpopularity in the 1990s. What's more, Camilla was also accepted, she will be crowned queen.
This is going to be a highlight.
The triumph of a woman who will have been dragged through the mud, will have held on and today becomes queen alongside her husband.
What exactly will Camilla's role be?
Beyond her public role as queen, she will be an important private support for her husband.
Charles is sometimes a little angry and Camilla knows how to channel him well.
She will know how to calm down.
It's a couple that has worked well for years.
In video, when King Charles III loses patience because of … a pen
Prince Andrew involved in the Epstein affair, the revelations of Meghan and Harry, the latter's memoir entitled
The Substitute
... The life of King Charles III is not a long calm river.
How is he doing so far?
The British appreciate that he does not add fuel to the fire.
Charles demonstrates this all-British phlegm: despite the hardships, he strives to remain dignified.
Especially since he is determined to accelerate the reforms of the institution after his coronation.
Essential reforms for the sustainability of the British monarchy.
It is a question of reviewing the internal functioning of the Palaces, that it be more sober, more economical.
Charles also seeks to tighten the institution of the monarchy around a few members, particularly Wales.
With the departure of Meghan and Harry, however, he must also count on his sister Anne, his brother Edward and his sister-in-law Sophie, all three very popular.
The Windsors go with their family to the Christmas service.
(Sandringham, December 25, 2022.) Getty Images
What challenges will he face?
The beginning of the reign will be placed under the challenge of unity.
British unity first.
The United Kingdom has been experiencing major strikes for several months.
The social, economic and political climate is very tense there and it is there that the king can fully play his role by embodying unity and stability.
Second challenge: to maintain the unity of the United Kingdom while desires for independence could be expressed more frankly, in Scotland in particular.
At the same time, Charles will have to preserve the unity of the Commonwealth, knowing that certain States of which he is the sovereign will certainly transition to a republic, as Barbados did in 2021. We will therefore have to support them, ensure that the transition is going well,
and try to properly manage the sensitive issue of the colonial past in some of these countries, particularly in the Caribbean.
Finally, the king will have to preserve the unity of the Windsor clan, weakened since the departure of Meghan and Harry and the death of Elizabeth II.
To be the guarantor of the unity of a kingdom, one must know how to be within one's own family.
And the British are very attentive to it.
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