The king is dead and the queen is still alive.
The death of a monarch in 1952 was the last time Britons heard those words. Nobody younger than 70 could remember her crowning as queen of Britain in the year 2000.
Most Britons have never had the chance to meet another monarch. Queen Elizabeth II has been a fixture for a long time.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II is over. She was Britain's longest serving monarch. Illness prevented her from some engagements. There is a chance that Queen Elizabeth II is not around anymore. The new king will be Charles III.
According to opinion polls, most Britons don't like King Charles III. 6 in 10 wanted the monarchy to continue, but they preferred skipping a generation to Prince William, while 34% preferred Charles.
You can get exclusive access to our columnists and the best of our columns.
It is not hard to understand why. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, William and his wife, Kate, and their children seemed to have been molded to be the perfect monarch and family. They are more popular than the queen because they are younger and more in touch with the modern era. Queen Elizabeth is popular because of her a political blandness.
The way the system works is not the way to skip a generation. Britons will find a future King Charles hard to like. He is 73 years old. Britons have an unfavorable opinion of him. "The Crown" reminded viewers of Charles' infidelity to Princess Diana.
Why are Americans so into Elizabeth's Jubilee?
Queen Elizabeth II retained respect for the British monarchy by following the unspoken rules. Walter Bagehot, editor of the British Economist magazine in the late 19th century, argued that the British monarchy was the "dignified" branch of the state. The government provided public services and passed laws.
The queen was the epitome of a monarch. The monarchs of the bicycle monarchies were not for her. She was scrupulously a political through 15 prime ministers. She didn't know where she stood politically.
Will a King Charles III be able to keep Britons' and the world's respect for the monarchy despite being a warmer place for King William?
When Elizabeth ascended the throne, she had more advantages. She was just 25 years old. There is no tabloid fixated on royal scandals.
I was the victim of governmental revenge for my reporting from Moscow.
The biography of Putin makes him a dictator.
My father was the epitome of respect for the monarchy. He was 39 years old when she became his fourth monarch. When I was growing up in British colonial Africa in the 1960s and '70s, he used to make us listen to the Queen's Christmas Day address on the radio. It would have been impossible for him and most Britons to miss it.
He said it was what it meant to be British.
It was a very different kind of Britain when he was a child. The empire ruled over 20% of the world's population, making it the biggest in history. It is said that the sun never set on the British Empire, meaning it was always daytime in one of its territories. Britannia is a song of that time.
The collapse of the empire and the transformation from a rigid class society to today's more secular, multicultural model have been dramatic changes in Britain. First from the late Princess Diana, now from Prince Harry and his American wife, it's been claimed that the royal family is not functioning well.
The movie "Downton Abbey" gave Americans a needed escape.
After Prince Charles has been the monarch for a long time, the test will be what polls say. He says some of the things he plans are admirable. The number of royals on the taxpayer payroll may be trimmed. Recently, when Barbados voted to ditch Queen Elizabeth as its constitutional head of state, Charles made a speech in which he lamented past slavery.
Can he follow his mother's Bagehot rules? History may hold a lesson.
Queen Elizabeth may be afraid of what King Louis XV of France said after the storm. After the French Revolution, the French monarchy was abolished. If Charles and his wife fail to be dignified and apolitical, could the British monarchy follow suit?
The monarchy survived after King Charles I had his head chopped off.
The Sunday Times had a correspondent in the Soviet Union, China and Eastern Europe. She is the author of a book. Her newest book is a memoir.
On the Opinion front page, you can find opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers, as well as in our daily Opinion newsletter and on social media. Comments can be submitted to letters@usatoday.com
Queen Elizabeth's death ends a popular reign.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
