Coronation and election leave restless UK 'in a waiting room'

Beneath the golden continuity of the coronation celebrations, there were signs that Britain and its royal family were preparing for a new era.
As British life progresses, the two could hardly have had less in common: the Saturday coronation of King Charles III, the grandest of them all the royal shows, and two days earlier, popular elections for mayors and other officials tasked with fixing potholes and picking up rubbish.
Yet , each, in their own way, confirmed a Britain on the verge of change. Britain could very well be swept from power in the general election that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to call by January 2025 Charles' coronation definitively turns the page on the 70-year reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and plunges the monarchy in an uncertain future.
Three years after Britain left the European Union, and nine months after Britons mourned the death of the Queen in Amid political and economic upheaval, the country is still searching for a post-Brexit identity. But even if its ultimate shape is unclear, Britain seems poised for a new era, both political and monarchical.
"The country is in a waiting room,” said Simon Schama, the British historian and author of “A History of Britain.” "People say, 'Let's give our particular new king a chance,' while the prospect of an election quells much of the frustration and rage people would otherwise feel."
Change is not guaranteed, of course. Charles, as a 74-year-old monarch, may turn out to be a more cautious figure than his biographers believe. The coronation, with its medieval rituals - the king was anointed with holy oil from a silver spoon dating back to 1349 - was nothing if not an exercise in continuity.
Image UK Opposition leader Keir Starmer with supporters celebrating his Labor party's successes in the previous day's English local elections on Friday. Credit...Gareth Fuller/Press Association, via Associated Presse
Similarly, the Tories, exhausted after the loss of more than 1,000 municipal seats, could still cling to power. Their leaders pointed to poll estimates, extrapolated from local election results, that would still leave the opposition Labor Party relying on the support of smaller rivals to govern.
Similar pressures are on the monarchy, which has ruled Britain for far longer than that. Recent polls show that many Britons, especially younger people, view the Royal Family as irrelevant and question its necessity.
"The Royal Family will have to think in the future," said Tony Travers, professor of politics at the London School of Economics. "Like other bodies of state and government, it is less reliable than it once was. You have two heat currents...

World May 8, 2023 0 57 Add to Reading List

Coronation and election leave restless UK 'in a waiting room'

Beneath the golden continuity of the coronation celebrations, there were signs that Britain and its royal family were preparing for a new era.

As British life progresses, the two could hardly have had less in common: the Saturday coronation of King Charles III, the grandest of them all the royal shows, and two days earlier, popular elections for mayors and other officials tasked with fixing potholes and picking up rubbish.

Yet , each, in their own way, confirmed a Britain on the verge of change. Britain could very well be swept from power in the general election that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to call by January 2025 Charles' coronation definitively turns the page on the 70-year reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and plunges the monarchy in an uncertain future.

Three years after Britain left the European Union, and nine months after Britons mourned the death of the Queen in Amid political and economic upheaval, the country is still searching for a post-Brexit identity. But even if its ultimate shape is unclear, Britain seems poised for a new era, both political and monarchical.

"The country is in a waiting room,” said Simon Schama, the British historian and author of “A History of Britain.” "People say, 'Let's give our particular new king a chance,' while the prospect of an election quells much of the frustration and rage people would otherwise feel."

Change is not guaranteed, of course. Charles, as a 74-year-old monarch, may turn out to be a more cautious figure than his biographers believe. The coronation, with its medieval rituals - the king was anointed with holy oil from a silver spoon dating back to 1349 - was nothing if not an exercise in continuity.

Image UK Opposition leader Keir Starmer with supporters celebrating his Labor party's successes in the previous day's English local elections on Friday. Credit...Gareth Fuller/Press Association, via Associated Presse

Similarly, the Tories, exhausted after the loss of more than 1,000 municipal seats, could still cling to power. Their leaders pointed to poll estimates, extrapolated from local election results, that would still leave the opposition Labor Party relying on the support of smaller rivals to govern.

Similar pressures are on the monarchy, which has ruled Britain for far longer than that. Recent polls show that many Britons, especially younger people, view the Royal Family as irrelevant and question its necessity.

"The Royal Family will have to think in the future," said Tony Travers, professor of politics at the London School of Economics. "Like other bodies of state and government, it is less reliable than it once was. You have two heat currents...