Exactly a year ago, the words “God Save the King” echoed in Westminster Abbey for the first time in a long time. But due to his illness, King Charles, who suffers from cancer, rarely appears in public. What will next year bring? “We’ve been seeing him again since last week.”
AD’s royalty correspondent Jeroen Schmale compared the coronation, a year ago today, to “a combination of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones”. “Now that I see the pictures, I have that feeling again. And when you see him with all these qualities, he really is Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones“, says Schmale in Goedemorgen Nederland on NPO 1.
Although the Britons did everything they could to celebrate the coronation in style, a year later, few people thought about it. North: “Last weekend I was in London, during a Bank holiday. The British filled themselves with alcohol. When I asked, “Does this have anything to do with the coronation?”, there were very glassy looks all around.
Visit of Prince Harry
British tabloids hardly care about one year of King Charles’ reign. “They’re writing about the Windsors, but especially about the fact that Prince Harry, Charles’ youngest son, is coming to London,” says Schmale. “He’s there to attend a meeting of the Invictus Games, the Wounded Soldiers Games, which he founded ten years ago.”
King Charles is also in London. “The big question is: Will they get together? There’s a lot of speculation about that.” North thinks so. The last time father and son saw each other was in February, after it became known that Charles had cancer. “Harry then flew from California to London and visited his father for 45 minutes.”
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“The visit is now expected to last a little longer,” says the Kings correspondent. “The Sun calculated that they would finish their duties around six in the morning. The King then held a reception at Buckingham Palace. He lives nearby at Clarence House. How long will it take Harry to get there? Can they eat together? It should be possible.” “
Charles “concrete”
Charles’ first year as king was marked by his illness. North: “But since last week we have seen him in public again. He and Camilla visited cancer patients and their practitioners. They chose it well.”
According to Schmale, Charles is closer to the people than his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. “He’s more approachable. His mother was of course on top of everything. Because Charles has a disease that unfortunately can affect us all and that we’ll all have to deal with, he’s more touchable. And that’s exactly what the British people need after so many years of rule.” Elizabeth, by the way, he shouldn’t get too friendly. That’s the balance that kings must always find.
Schmale thinks we’ll see more of King Charles in his second year. “If his health permits, he will also go on a trip. Japanese Emperor Naruhito is coming to Britain. It is about the two greatest kings in the world meeting each other.
Read also:
‘The British monarchy has been disrupted,’ says royal expert on ailing King Charles.
Section: Peter Visser
