Britons Will Stand With Charles If He Stands With Them
That is the message of the polls as the new King prepares to be anointed in the era of Brexit.
With multiple reports out of London signaling defiance for Charles III, monarchists mindful of their history will remember Churchill’s phrase “the gathering storm.”
To survey the scene of British life in recent years, is to bear witness to an assault upon the political, social, cultural, and economic order — aided and abetted by those in positions of authority and power.
It begs the question, when will the storm break? For, as the Bible foretells, “he that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.”
Without here examining specific reactions against Charles, two recent polls cited by the Daily Express are illustrative of the general public mood. In the first poll, YouGov finds that 21.8 million Brits — 41 percent — will refrain from celebrating the King’s coronation Saturday, with 39 percent planning to celebrate and 21 percent undecided. More than half of under-35s will skip the coronation, while only 35 percent of over-55s have other plans.
This contrasts unfavorably with the coronation of Charles’ mother, who was crowned when television was in its infancy and viewing possibilities were more limited. In 1953, some 75 percent of the population watched Elizabeth II crowned at Westminster Abbey.
In the second poll, YouGov polled Britons on whether they believed the United Kingdom would have a monarchy a century hence. Optimists — “definitely” — numbered 13 percent, those hopeful at 32 percent, while 39 percent were doubtful and 8 percent certain of a republican future. This shows support for the monarchy down from a decade ago, when percentages were 60 to 30, respectively.
As a snapshot of contemporary thinking, monarchists in this survey outnumber republicans, 62 percent to 25 percent. Although viewed demographically, the prospects are less encouraging for Prince William and his heirs.
For while over-65s remain stalwart monarchists — 79 percent to 15 percent — the cohort between 18 years old and 24 years is less loyal, with 40 percent wanting an elected head of state versus 36 percent for the status quo.
Now, the other side of the coin. In this third poll commissioned for the London Sun, the findings are that “Brits are proud of this great country despite endless negativity from the left,” according to the political editor, Harry Cole.
Among Britons who voted Conservative in the 2019 election — and this includes “Red Wall” former Labourites who voted to “get Brexit done” — there is a definite signal for King Charles, had he the perspicacity to see it.
On the question of which party will win the next general election, 51 percent believe the Tories can still take it (32 percent are less hopeful). On the European Court of Human Rights that continues to frustrate the will of the people as expressed through Parliament, this 2019 Brexit voter is 55 percent in favor of leaving (28 percent opt to remain).
This next finding of the London Sun poll is most telling, for the future well-being of the monarchy. On the question “Are you proud or embarrassed of Britain’s past?”, 45 percent of general respondents were proud, while 18 percent were embarrassed — itself of no small significance. Yet of the 2019 Brexit vote, that number jumps to 73 percent versus 5 percent.
Now, it would be wrong to draw a direct equivalency between the 2019 Brexit voter and pro-monarchists. There are doubtless many Labour voters who support the Crown, and some Brexiteers who harbor republican sympathies. On the whole, though, it should be fairly obvious where Charles III’s support lies. The 2019 Brexiteer is “his people.”
Yet the King continually undermines his natural support base by adopting policies that hurt and disadvantage the average Briton: whether that be on climate change, energy supply, or cultural issues, among others. People may disagree about Charles’s propensity to become an “activist king.” Yet they will not stand with him if he does not stand with them.
Instead, the King can look to the example of Queen Victoria and heed the counsel of her trusted prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli. “In a progressive country change is constant,” he observed. “And the great question is, not whether you should resist change which is inevitable, but whether that change should be carried out in deference to the manners, the customs, the laws, and the traditions of a people.”
The choice for Charles is clear. Either he continues to foment the gathering storm. Or, to choose a more cheerful Churchillian imagery, the King will defer to the British commonweal, and lead his people — and the monarchy —“forward into broad, sunlit uplands.”
