King Charles III has waited a long time to ascend to the throne. Since getting there in September, he has proven to be very effective at the job.
One way he is able to do this, he pays a lot of attention to details that might have gone unnoticed by someone else. However, this focus on minor issues is not making him very popular with some members of the Royal Family.
The Monarch gives the impression that he is trying to control everyone and everything. While he is new and has time to move in a different direction, King Charles cannot wait too long to forge the right alliances to reform the British monarchy.
The Sovereign has illustrated in recent weeks a genuine desire not to let things slide while he is in power.
The King decided to stop his brother, Prince Edward, from becoming Duke of Edinburgh. This was something that Queen Elizabeth II wanted, and the former Prince of Wales had agreed to the change.
The late Queen had promised his son that he would inherit his father’s title at the time of his death, and his wife Sophie Wessex was supposed to become Duchess of Edinburgh.
King Charles will keep the title to himself, although he will not use it. He is doing this to shrink the monarchy because Prince Edward’s son would later inherit the title. The so-called policy change makes sense but is not really popular.
In another sign of the need to control the narrative, King Charles is not happy that Princess Anne and Prince Edward decided to spend time publicly with their brother, Prince Andrew, two days before his 74th birthday.
Prince Andrew’s fall from grace was brutal, but many supporters say siblings spending time together should not be a problem.
For people close to the King, Andrew should not be in the public eye because of his links to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. For them, a shooting party at the Windsor estate was definitely not a very good idea.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: “King Charles was said to be displeased that Edward and Anne had been publicly meeting up with Andrew and wanted it made clear that he had not been part of the shoot. Anne and Edward had been privately concerned about Andrew and wanted to check on him. But Charles’s view is that he should not be in the public eye. His Majesty was not thrilled at all.”
King Charles adopts the cold approach even when it comes to his grandchildren — Archie and Lilibet Diana. The two children will only get their titles of prince and princess if their parents — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — fall in line.
While these elements point to the fact that King Charles is taking his reign very seriously, some observers wonder if the monarchy will really benefit from these small decisions.
