A video, once again, caught King Charles III irritated and impatient, just as he had happened in his early days as ruler after the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September.
In this case, the occasion on which the monarch was unearthed was the most important day of his life, that of the coronation that took place on Saturday.
"We can never be punctual" and "There is always one". These are the words captured thanks to the lip reading made by Sky News, pronounced by the monarch while he was with Queen Camilla on board the carriage called Diamond Jubilee State Coach, in front of Westminster Abbey, waiting for the princes of Wales, William and Kate with their children Charlotte and Louis, late, to take their places in the church. The rulers were thus forced to wait a few minutes before everything was ready for their entry.
But it is not the first time that Carlo lets himself go to irritated comments or impatient expressions. Last September, in another video circulated in the media, it emerged that Charles had difficulty signing a visitors' register during his visit to Belfast. "I can't stand this damn contraption," he said to Camilla on that occasion. A similar episode and always filmed, in that case live, had taken place in London during the proclamation ceremony when the sovereign, intent on signing at the desk, had addressed with a gesture of strong irritation to the staff because of an inkwell that visibly embarrassed him and had not been moved.
A more political king
More and more Britons would like King Charles III to have a more "political" role and to intervene more by defending his social or environmentalist views than in the era of strict neutrality observed on almost every subject by Queen Elizabeth II in her 70-year reign.
This is what emerges from a survey published today in the newspaper 'i' after the solemn coronation on Saturday of the sovereign and Queen Camilla and yesterday's celebrations culminated in the gala concert at Windsor Castle. According to BMG's survey, for 38% of respondents Charles III should speak publicly about the burning issues that are closest to his heart, while 46% think the opposite. It is above all the youngest, between 18 and 24 years old, who are asking for a more 'interventionist' sovereign. The same age group is also the one in which the monarchy is less popular and the desire to have an elected president as head of state is more widespread. Charles in the past, when he was heir to the throne, had been criticised, especially during Tony Blair's Labour government, for expressing personal advice and opinions on a range of issues.
Meanwhile, today the coronation celebrations end with the public holiday dedicated to volunteering throughout the United Kingdom: the princes of Wales, William and Kate, like Prince Edward and his wife Sofia, meet representatives of the many associations involved in the Big Help Out initiative. While the king and queen, after the two days in the spotlight, do not take part in the event but have expressed through Buckingham Palace their "maximum support".
ANSA Agency
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