60% of Britons have a favorable opinion of King Charles*, one year after his accession to the throne. A comfortable majority, which crowns a year without any real setback for the former Prince of Wales. And without any real change, the king seems to follow the comfortable furrow opened by his mother – almost a surprise for royal observers. “It has been said a lot that Charles would be a somewhat disruptive king,” recalls 20 minutes Philip Kyle, author of a French biography of Charles**. Until he became king, he did not keep his tongue in his pocket and had sometimes crossed the red line in matters of reserve. »
One of the challenges for Charles was indeed to change his image: during his six decades as Prince of Wales, the man was long perceived as distant and disconnected from the reality of daily life for the British. An effect that he wanted to erase in his first message addressed to the nation at Christmas, a highlight of British life. The king thus had a thought for “those who are looking for ways to pay their bills and feed their families”. During his travels, he comes into contact with the crowd and shakes many hands. An important change, for someone who has always been in the shadow of his loved ones in public: that of his mother, that of his first wife, Diana, towards whom all eyes were turned during their official outings together, then that of of his sons and their wives.
One of Charles’ biggest triumphs this year was Camilla’s coronation, Philip Kyle points out: “I’m old enough to remember the 1990s when she was public enemy number one. At the time, the queen did not want to speak to him. Today, Camilla is crowned at Westminster Abbey without anyone finding anything wrong with it. » A public acceptance that took several years. When the marriage of Charles and Camilla was announced in 2005, the royal family’s communications advisors were extra cautious: Camilla would never bear the title of Princess of Wales, she would never be queen, only queen consort, explained- them at the time. In May, Camilla was nevertheless crowned queen.
Young people less seduced by Charles III
Even Harry’s attacks, who accuses her of being too close to the press in his autobiography published in January, do not seem to reach the new queen. Charles is rather spared there. Have the royal couple read the book? Very probably. In any case, they never responded to it in public. “This dignified silence was appreciated by the British,” analyzes Philip Kyle. There was a lot of anticipation for this book [qui est devenu numéro un des ventes au Royaume-Uni], but it did not alter the popularity of the royal family. While in the 1990s, Diana’s book created a crisis and affected the family’s popularity [Charles y a répondu en 1994 dans un autre livre]. »
This popularity, however, is waning among younger Britons. The majority of them declare themselves opposed or indifferent to the royal family. “The younger generations have a more favorable opinion of Harry and Meghan, and that is a challenge for the royal family,” notes Philip Kyle. Charles is someone who is very interested in young people, who founded the Prince’s Trust in 1976, a foundation which has helped many young people to integrate or reintegrate into society. »
The XXL check from the Public Treasury to the royal family
Another challenge for Charles was the republican movement, which was particularly visible at the time of the coronation, with its supporters organizing demonstrations on public roads. Whether to support them or to overwhelm them, the British press devoted significant coverage to these opponents of the Windsors.
To rally many Britons to their cause, the republicans denounced the public financing of the royal family. An argument that they can continue to put forward, since the British press found this summer that Charles III and his family should receive an increase in their public funding of 45% by 2026, a sum which will be used in particular to finance the work undertaken at Buckingham Palace. Public money paid to the royal family is calculated from the profits of a royal estate belonging to the crown. If business on the estate continues to do exceptionally well, the Treasury will have to pay 126 million pounds to the occupants of Clarence House in 2026, compared to 86 million this year. A double-digit increase, which most Britons only know about on their receipt.
* According to a YouGov poll conducted between August 26 and 28 among 2020 adults in Great Britain.
** Charles III, published on October 27, 2022 by Editions Perrin. Philip Kyle worked for almost three years for the press service of Prince Charles’s foundation, The Prince’s Trust.