Illustrative Image
The timing of Queen Elizabeth’s death poses a challenge to monarchy.
Written by Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts
Queen Elizabeth was very popular in Britain; her death came at a hard time. The elaborate rituals and procedures pertaining to the burial and the crowning of the new King Charles as well as the issuing of new coins, banknotes etc, will have an impact on a British economy that is already in a bad shape and anxious over the coming winter amid an energy and inflation crisis.
According to a YouGov poll earlier this year, Queen Elizabeth had a 75% approval, compared with only 42% for her son, now King Charles III. The high esteem for her notwithstanding, the Royal Family reputation and prestige, as of now, is damaged by a series of scandals. King’s brother, Prince Andrew had to partially withdraw from public life over a sexual scandal lawsuit concerning to his relationship with deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, the head of an elite social circle which procured women and children for the wealthy. Prince Harry, in turn, stepped away from all his royal duties in 2021, when he moved to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, amid a public family quarrel.
King Charles’ own image among the general public to this day is tainted by his somewhat messy divorce from Lady Diana Spencer in 1996. A monarch being also the secular head of the Church, there were, at the time, doubts whether Charles could become King in the future if he was divorced and remarried because the Church of England would not allow a second marriage. In 1997, Diana died in a car crash – and according to a 2013 poll, nearly four in ten British adults believed it was not an accident (although there is no evidence to the contrary). Afterwards, Charles made public his relationship with his longtime lover, whom he married, in a civil ceremony, in 2005, and who today is Queen Consort Camilla. In 2010, the Palace had stated Princess Consort – and not Queen Consort – was the intended title for Camila if and when Charles became the Monarch.
Such marital and personal matters could all be described as private businesses, and the subject of tabloids, but this being the British Royal Family, they generate bad publicity and also have political impacts. According to Pauline Maclaran, a London University marketing professor, who specializes in the Royal Family, support for the late Queen does not necessarily transfer to the monarchy itself. A sign of its decline in popularity is the fact that Charles was booed in his very first official visit to Wales as monarch. In fact, support for the regime has plunged from 75% in 2012 to 62% a few months ago, according to YouGov. Under Charles, this could plunge even lower. Moreover, only 45% of Scottish voters back the monarchy, according to UK-based think tank British Future, and, during Charles III’s proclamation, there were protests in Edinburgh. The problem is not just the general public: in London, Charles has a reputation for interfering in public business.
The economy’s bad shape might also decrease support for monarchy. There are today over 4.7 million British banknotes with the deceased Queen’s face on them, and all of them are to be replaced, although completing this transition can take a few years. Although a gradual changeover, in any case changing Queen to King on coins, mail stamps, and post boxes, besides banknotes, does have its costs. Some experts in fact estimate the whole thing will cost around $402 million – not to mention flags flying outside public buildings, military medals, uniforms which bear the Queen’s cypher, police helmets, UK passports, and even the royal warrant that applies to hundreds of businesses. All of this might also impact many other countries, considering the Queen’s image appears on the currency of 35 countries, due to her position as the former Head of the Commonwealth.
Of the 54 Commonwealth members, 14 have Charles as their Head of State. Some of these states, in the Caribbean particularly, are rethinking their adhesion to monarchy and local republicans may take advantage of this period to push their agendas. Barbados became a republic last year and others could follow suit: Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister recently told the British broadcaster ITV that he plans a referendum on the matter very soon, and there are talks about similar moves in Jamaica, and, outside the Caribbean, to a lesser degree, even in Australia and New Zealand. The Caribbean “republican move” also worries British political elites, who are concerned about the rising Chinese presence there. Barbados’ republican turn was even blamed on China – without any evidence – by Tom Tugendhat, then chairman of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Beijing in fact has been lending billions of dollars to Caribbean commonwealth nations.
Back to the United Kingdom, it has been in practice already divided by the peculiar post-Brexit situation of the Northern Ireland Protocol – there is now in fact an “Irish Sea border” and a loyalist-republican conflict in Northern Ireland could make a comeback. The UK has made a unilateral decision to keep suspending Northern Ireland border checks, but the crisis remain
To sum it up, without Elizabeth’s popularity and unity appeal, King Charles III’ biggest challenge will be to keep the United Kingdom united, which is precisely his main job. In short, this transition opens the way for further legitimacy and political crises and instability in the UK, amid a general European crisis.
You dont need to ask what country I support— SCOTLAND ! and the sooner we part company with a bunch of far-right – dyed in the wool TORIES who are against Scotland and its people the sooner we will be FREE – no more colonialism -patronising- arrogance and treating us as lesser beings .
Wha sae base as be a slave let him turn and flee see approach proud Edwards power – chains & slavery — we will drain our dearest veins but we shall be Free !! – lay the proud usurper low tyrants fall with every blow – let us do or die .
Scots wha hae wi, Wallace bled -Scots wham Bruce hae aften led -welcome to your gory bed or to Victory !!
The spider crawling around the flowers on the Queen’s coffin tells its all.
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That was mentioned by a historian on Press TV and he mentioned Charles wanting to be named Charles 111 which is a bad omen as Charles 1 was Executed on the 30th of January 1649 for treason and beheaded .
A bit better death than William Wallace dragged naked round London streets – Hung-intestines drawn- and quartered before that they cut off his penis and testicles- some wee Londoner was jealous of his big manhood and balls.
Then his head was stuck on London Bridge –its time the “comliment” was returned.
Yes Press TV stated via a historian that Charles 111 ,s reign will come to an end as he chose that title knowing Charles 1 was beheaded for treason -its cursed.
Thats not all -after the Battle of Culloden many wounded Highlanders were piled on a large heap and cannon balls fired into them–then survivors and many more highlanders were transported to London and sold as SLAVES that right white men sold as slave – as it looked so bad now for the English government they tried to cover it up when that failed they slyly just like zelensky said “oh but they weren’t really slaves “-absolute BULL ! even honest historians admit it – that why many were forced to work alongside African slaves in the cotton fields and many Black Americans have Scottish names.
The problem with a royal bloodline is the fact that in all extended families there are the ‘ good, the bad and the mad’ and England/Britain has suffered monarchs with all of those attributes.
There would also be problems with elected and un-elected heads of state, BUT once they are gone, the blood line is likely to change.
All leaders though, have one major problem and that has always been the control that private banks and money lenders have over those in political power.
Those in power also seek to control the available wealth of the state.
My solution would be to give my noble horse total control of all monetary and property assets. That would be a sort of Reset I suppose!
SF took my post out – too controversial for them –
SF WHY publicise an article that asks questions about the breakup of the so called “Union ” of Scotland when its only English Tory viewpoints that you accept ? That amounts to Anti-Scots racism -well I am Proud to be Scottish and will fight for full Independence with EVERY drop of my blood – you say your are pro-Russia ??? then many Scots of note fought alongside Russia but its played down by the west.
I refuse to lift a finger to fight for US big business and Exceptionalism that’s what British soldiers fight for –America,s Wars and die or lose arms & legs .
Scots wha hae wi, Wallace bled -Scots wham Bruce hae aften led – welcome to your gory bed or to Victory !
This webpage is being hacked I can tell – full of English Royalists so the hackers must work for Westminster government security services -GCHQ.
Wallace was labelled “a Traitor ” even though he said -how can that be – I fight for Scotland and that’s where my loyalty lies -that got him hung-drawn and quartered – well I fight for Scotland and I am proud of it !
Scotland is free wha hae wi. Good on ya Donny!
Thanks Marty – ALL my posts have been removed because I criticised the far right Tory government in London and want a FREE Scotland which brings me to –
1= SF has removed them showing it isn’t what it says it is -it isn’t free politically but ruled from the City of London. OR-
2= its being heavily HACKED –
which is it SF and why do I not have the same trouble on other pro -Russia websites ??
Where is your credibility- how long till this post is removed by the Moderators ??
Some shilling (used as 5p) and 2 shilling (used as 10p) coins remained in circulation with an image of King George until the decimal 10p and 5p of the same size introduced in 1968 were replaced with newer smaller coins and the older ones withdrawn from circulation in 1990 and 1993 – so there was currency featuring an image of a previous monarch until then, 40 years afterwards – so by that standard there should be no great hurry to update, whether the people in charge of matters now will exhibit such thrift remains to be seen.
And of course we al know of the usa’s penchant for long dead presidents on their bills.
Freemasonic colonial dictators, oh how they have challenges. Stockholm syndrome again? LOL
“All for the buttocks brigade for zelenskys anus!”
If you really wanted to keep it united, you wouldn’t be speaking of it as a challenge, publicly at that.
Despite its faults, the British monarchy is better as head of state then a republic set up.
I have no problem with England liking the Monarchy and voting for them and the Tories –my problem is forcing it on Scotland the same as Tory policies are forced on Scotland.
What I mean is it seems okay to promote English nationalism but condemn Scottish nationalism – Scotland was once free and a kingdom on its own -sold out for English gold and land by our so called “aristocracy ” . The Glaswegians who rioted at the time against it were shot.
Without England, Scotland would be an economic basket case, as you didn’t learn your lesson with the ‘Darien scheme’, and you needed England to bail you out as Scotland was bankrupt. The act of union was a blessing you Scots were given and then grumbled about for the next 300 + years.
You still can’t manage without England, but lets say for arguments sake you did get your fabled independence, who’s going to be your first head-of-state, Nicola Sturgeon? lol
And you forget our late Queens Mother was Scottish.