Our family, particularly on my father's side is of Scotch/Irish/Welch descent. I have long considered myself a bit of an Anglophile. Probably my two favorite fictional characters for decades have been James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. That said, I have never had much fascination with the Royal family or the crown in general. However, it would be impossible to overlook the reign of Queen Elizabeth II without noting more than the length of her tenure, but the stability that she has helped to provide for so many decades in both cementing and strengthening that 'special relationship' between the United Kingdom and 'the colonies' as the Royal Family are often said to refer to the United States behind closed doors. Queen Elizabeth began her reign as head of state of the British Empire with Winston Churchill returning as Prime Minister (1951-1955), through Boris Johnson and Liz Truss today. The House of Lords has become all but an anachronism, and Elizabeth has worked with Labour, Tories, Conservative, and even coalition governments and all while serving her nation and her duty in a job and role which she never sought.
Only Queen Victoria has a length of holding the crown which comes close (1837-1901) at 64 years. When Elizabeth's grandfather was King, the royal families and heads of state of the United Kingdom, Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm II), and Russia (Czar Nicholas II) were all blood relatives. Yet two revolutions later, only the House of Windsor retains the crown. The will of the people is required for the maintenance and support of royal families. Great Britain's crown is among the longest in existence today, and Queen Elizabeth has had few peers in terms of longevity worldwide. King Bhumibol of Thailand ruled for 70 years, his coronation in 1950 almost coincided with the introduction of the fictional King & I film and later Broadway production, both starring Yul Brynner in a fictionalized portrayal of Bhumibol's own great-grandfather. Emperor Hirohito of Japan had a reign from 1926, through World War II, and concluded in 1989 (63 years)
Modern royalty are most often figureheads, sources of tradition, protocol, and a link to a storied nation's past. As the House of Windsor has grown, alongside social media, its social fabric and standing have also unraveled a bit at its seams. No royal leader is truly perfect.
Prince Charles of Wales now becomes King Charles III. Based on his earlier focuses in life, and now at the age of 73, we can expect him to retain much of the focus and direction of his mother on the throne, yet we cannot necessarily expect him to be either the world presence or the fixture of Britain's steadfast support for its ally the United States, that his mother certainly was.
King Charles has his quirks; as Queen Elizabeth had her omnipresent Yorkies. I think what I admire most about the Queen was what I continually heard was her dry, and occasionally bit wicked sense of humor. A highlight, at least for me, was her secret "parachute jump" into the Olympic Stadium, along with British Agent 007 (actor Craig Daniels) to open the 2012 Olympic Games - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo.
King Charles intends an even greater focus on making England and Great Britain operate on a more sustainable basis, particularly within its energy sector. Charles is also expected to do a bit of pruning on the expenditures across the Royal Family tree, reaching $87.5 million pounds sterling in 2021, roughly equivalent to $ 101 million dollars. Charles is expected to focus programs and resources more on his immediate heirs, than on the far-flung House of Windsor.
King Charles is believed to be in good health, in a family with both parents nearly making the century mark (his father did), so while he may not be a brief caretaker monarch, a larger function of his rule will be to pave the way for his successor, as he works to modernize what it means to be Royal in this 21st century.
His eldest son, William, now will hold his old title, as the Prince of Wales. As Britain mourns the loss of someone many views as the 'forever Queen,' William and his young family may have some very large and sensible British shoes to fill in the not-too-distant future. Should he stick with his existing surname, he would become King William V.
And as my own true and given full name is Charles William Crane... I guess I could get used to this for a little while.
