King Charles has “little joy” at present because “there’s too much in the firing line and too many problems to solve”, one royal biographer has claimed.
The nation came together in May to celebrate the crowning of King Charles at Westminster Abbey, a ceremony steeped in ancient ritual and brimming with pomp at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain.
The honeymoon period did not last long, however. Britons woke up to find the cost of living biting, politics in disarray and war raging on the continent.
On top of this, the King still has to deal with Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, notes Tom Bower, author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, Kate and William.
He explained: “There’s little joy at the moment. The coronation clearly was a success, but there’s too much in the firing line and too many problems to solve.”
He added: “And the solutions aren’t easy, especially because of Harry and Andrew.”
Harry has been a thorn in the Royal Family’s side since stepping down from royal duties in 2020.
The Duke’s tell-all campaign culminated in the release of his memoir earlier this year, which exposed the inner workings of royal life.
Prince Andrew has been mired in scandal ever since he opened up about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a no-holds-barred interview for BBC’s Newsnight in 2019.
Andrew was stripped of the majority of his titles and stepped back from royal duties due to the scandal over his friendship with the disgraced financier.
“All the problems which were clear once the Queen died have not been sorted out,” Mr Bower claimed.
What to do about it
Given the current state of affairs, the royal biographer reckons Charles and the family should keep a low profile.
“The trouble is the country is wracked with problems and they clearly cannot offer solutions.”
Mr Bower continued: “That’s not their job, but their problems keep on reappearing like Harry.”
The King does have some cause for optimism, however. His current approval rating is around 10 percentage points higher than it was when he was Prince of Wales, signalling he is more popular as King.
One year into his reign, 60 percent of Britons have a favourable view of the King, compared to 32 percent who have a negative view, a new YouGov poll shows.
Matt Smith, head of data journalism at YouGov, said: “The public in general continue to broadly support the monarchy and members of the Royal Family – with well-known exceptions.”
For its latest survey, YouGov polled 2,020 British adults between 26 and 28 August.
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