On video: the moment of the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla/photo: Reuters
Not many people would refuse a promotion at their workplace.
Upgraded status, perhaps tenure, a good training fund and above all a public and signed evaluation of the efforts they have invested over the years.
The person who waited for the long-awaited promotion for the longest period of time in the world is
King Charles
, who waited no less than 70 years until his mother,
Queen Elizabeth II
, would vacate her place and he would be crowned in her place.
Charles was born in 1948 and his mother was crowned Queen when he was only three years old.
She is queen continuously until her death in 2022 and so, at an age when many retire and visit the neighboring country, the 75-year-old Charles became king and got the job of his life.
For seven decades he lived in Elizabeth's shadow and his role as heir was to support the Queen, "as a source of national pride, unity and loyalty".
Needless to say, he used the time to learn the role the hard way.
Life, of course, had different plans and no ceremonial protocol prepared Charles for the blow that came from his oldest son,
Prince Harry
, who published a provocative book full of embarrassing secrets that the royals would rather keep to themselves.
The series of Harry and his wife
Meghan Markle
on Netflix also clouded the recognition of the new king, but after such a long wait it is a small blow in the wing, certainly after decades that were full of scandals, the biggest and most serious of which involved his relationship with
Princess Diana
.
Queen Elizabeth and King Charles/GettyImages, Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images
The biggest stain on Charles' life, and the one he will never be able to get rid of, is related to his deceased ex-wife.
The couple's marriage did not start with a particularly great love and the rift grew after Charles began to cheat on Diana with
Camilla Parker Bowles
with whom he lives to this day.
In 1993 a man from Cripps was listening to radio frequencies until he came across a call that caught his attention.
He recorded it and sold the product to a tabloid.
After some time, not only the content of the recording was published under the title "Charles and Camilla: the tape", and the whole world was exposed to a conversation of a sexual nature that took place between the two, who were married to other people at the time.
The content of the conversation included phrases such as "I'd like to live in your pants" and "I'd like to be your tampon", the remarks were a shame on the entire royal house and Diana received another boost to the status of the saint in this relationship, although she was not one, it's just that she knew maintain discretion
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Last May, the festive coronation ceremony took place and although crowds came out to cheer in the streets, not everyone received the new king with a warm welcome.
In several incidents objects and eggs were thrown at him, various polls determined that he is the least popular king, even less than Prince William who never sat on the throne one day in his life.
Charles does not let the various incidents affect the agenda and he continues to vigorously promote issues that are burning in his heart, among others the climate crisis that he has been warning about since the days when Greta Thunberg was a sweaty handshake between her parents.
The new king quickly learned to walk between royal obligations and personal agendas and he built his new position in a slow and measured way.
His former secretary told People magazine "There is no person who knows this country better than him and he will surpass the previous kings. He has traveled the world and has vast knowledge, experience, connections and intelligence which he will bring with him to the position."
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith added: "If he had been crowned king two or more decades ago, it might have impaired his function and he would have been impatient. The long wait helped build his legacy and today he can focus on the things that really matter."
The palace's dramatic announcement that the king had cancer left many in the world with a sour taste for the cruel fate of the man who patiently awaited the role of his life.
The decision to reveal the diagnosis to the public reflects quite a bit of Charles' worldview, which is trying to make the royal family more modern and accessible.
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