Throughout all his 74 years, Charles Phillip Arthur George has been the heir apparent, dignified, resilient, and remarkably tolerant of a media, and sometimes a society that has painted him as the almost unwelcome son of a much beloved Queen Elizabeth II.
We should have known better... if only because he always had his astute ‘Mama’s’ confidence and support. Even if we had reservations about Charles as the uncrowned King, we should have had faith in her unswerving support throughout the sometimes testing chapters of his life, as, like episodes of a soap opera, he was often unfairly lampooned simply because he maintained the silence, no, the dignity, of an institution that, while it may well be derided in the Republican nations, is supported, sustained, and as this coronation will demonstrate, appreciated by the majority of the United Kingdom.
A scholarly young man, Charles played football at Hill House School, as his old Headmaster said once, because he needed to be able to “stand up for himself.” Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools saw him tested, another word for bullied, and despite his father, the Duke of Edinburgh’s disregard for his woes, as always throughout his life, Charles perpetually demonstrated his determination, dignity, and stoicism. He was to reflect later that this often cold, inhospitable environment where he learnt much about himself, and “taught me to respond to challenges,” and in his inimitable manner gilding every ill-met experience with a silver lining, absolutely committed to the Queen’s vision of the monarchy, and his dedication to the path, the life, and the office that lay ahead of him.
A time spent at the Timbertop campus of the Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia, allowed Charles to ‘grow,’ to mature somewhat, away from the media frenzy of home, and to “enjoy” learning, according to a report in the Canberra Times of 1973, but higher education at the prestigious Trinity College, the University College of Wales, and the University of Cambridge. In all, his academic achievements are impressive. Six GCSE ‘O’ Levels, two GCSE ‘A’s, a BA, and an MA, saw him become the first-ever heir to the throne to achieve graduate qualifications.
He married Diana Spencer in 1981, in a spectacle that thrust the young couple onto every front page in the world, which made its failure a mere five years later, polarizing global opinion, as everyone was either blaming one, or the other for their eventual separation and 1996 divorce. We, the public, were no better just a year later as we lauded Diana as a saintly loss, while caricaturing Charles as a pantomime villain who had conspired towards her end, which surely says more about our frustrations at the ‘fairy tale’ not working out as it should have, than our ability to reason, reasonably.
Fast forward to 2022, and the passing of Elizabeth II, a time of sadness, yet it seemed, a recognition that her anointed son and heir Charles was the right man to assume the throne, despite the youthful, immature clamour by some commentators for Charles to make way for his eldest son William. It was never a prospect. If the late Queen didn’t think Charles capable of ruling, she would have acted accordingly, and that she never, and acknowledging his unstinting support, she prepared him so well. How do we know? Charles III, King in waiting will be crowned, and in his short time at the head of the realm, with Queen Camilla at his side, William, and Kate staunch, and Harry and Meghan distanced, that realm has never looked in safer hands.
And what, you may well ask, does the future hold for the Anglo-Omani relationship under the new monarch? Like Elizabeth before him, Charles has been a frequent visitor to the Sultanate of Oman, first in 1986 as part of a Middle Eastern sojourn, in 1999, 2003, 2016, and 2020, and the respective royal families clearly have an appreciative relationship, as do the military, educational, and commercial sectors of the two dynasties. It is difficult to see anything less than a continuation of a mutually beneficial relationship in the years and decades ahead, as the Sultanate of Oman is driving towards self-sufficiency and prosperity.
King Charles III has a nice ring to it, and long may he reign, a perpetual reminder of the power and strength, the dignity and respect that monarchies command, while Republics can only look on wistfully. Long live the King! Long Live King Charles III.
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