For the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Charles III, the year did not start in the best way, as the whole community expected him to make a significant decision regarding abdication. In December 2023, even in his wildest dreams, such a prospect did not appear to him, but now this question has really arisen. Why it arose, read on.
King Charles III set the record for waiting to inherit the throne from his mother, which was 64 years. The coronation took place on May 6, 2023, but not even a year has passed, as the entire community related to the British crown is skeptical about the prospect of Charles occupying the throne in the future.
She showed an example
The reason was the precedent of the abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. It happened spectacularly – during the New Year’s address to the citizens. She did it in favor of her son, Crown Prince Frederik, who will be crowned on January 14.
After that, all eyes turned to King Charles because his eldest son was already ready to take the throne. The pressure was significant: some mass media outlets wrote about the abdication. Strangely, even “royalist” British publications raised the topic of such a perspective. The apogee was the headline: “King Charles should follow the example of Denmark and say when he will abdicate.”
Phil Dampier – Royal author – believes that there may be two reasons:
– deterioration of the monarch’s health;
– transfer of the crown to the youth – to William and his wife Kate.
In the same material, it is noted that Queen Elizabeth would never have done such a thing, and it was logical at the time.
New etiquette
Why did no one expect such a step from Elizabeth II? The fact is that monarchs have their unspoken etiquette. The Queen of Denmark’s abdication ushered in a new era of royal courtesy in a timely handover of the throne to younger descendants. If before it was an exception and a rare phenomenon, now, it is becoming a common thing.
Some media have also reported growing tensions between Charles and William, who is seeking more power and control. A former employee of Buckingham Palace said that controversial moments on this basis are possible because the father reacts sharply when he is told what to do, and the son, in turn, is too direct. Moreover, soft and polite communication is not his strong point. However, he respects the royal “rank” of his father, so not a destructive competition but a productive rivalry is expected.
