William and Kate. By the time they give their turn, they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the longevity of these royal family members, right the Queen mom died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six, so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Welcome to one day University talks with the world's most engaging and inspiring professors discussing their most popular courses. This podcast is your chance to discover some of our top rated lectures on your own schedule. I'm Stephen Tregis. We're traveling across the Pond to Great Britain, where King Charles
the Third's coronation takes place this weekend. Although Charles became king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died last September, the coronation is an important symbolic ceremony steeped in royalty tradition. In fact, coronations for British monarchs have been around for over a thousand years. Professor Julietatio knows this history well. She has given lectures on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth
and the monarchy's centuries of royal scandals. Julie is an author and a research professor of history at the University of Maryland. She says the British monarchy's power has evolved quite a bit over the centuries.
If this were before sixteen eighty eight, the monarch would be considered divine. But after the sixteen eighty eight Glorious Revolution, with William and Mary agreeing to rule with the Bill of Rights, we see after that over the centuries pretty much the decline of all of those royal powers. The king or Queen will no longer be above the law.
They're subject to the authority of Parliament. Today, Charles, like his mother, has the right to give the royal approval to legislation, doesn't initiate it or really have anything to do with making laws. It's mainly ceremonial. He's the head of state, how to the church, how to the military,
had a state of the Commonwealth. But he has the right to be consulted, the right to advise the Prime Minister, and does play an important role with all the royal tours and hosting foreign visitors, and if you look at the Royal UK website, he is, like any monarch, is meant to be a source of national pride like the human face of government who unifies the nation. And that's no small role to play about.
How many nations are there in the Commonwealth, and how has that changed since Queen Elizabeth's coronation and in recent years.
So when the Queen first learned that she was Queen herself, the first speech that she made was about recognizing how the Imperial fold was growing up in changing, and so the Commonwealth, of course change in a response to the changing empire and the loss of certain colonies. That one had already happened before her reign in nineteen forty seven, obviously Indian independence, and then since nineteen forty seven through the nineteen sixties almost all of the former colonies had
gained their independence. So this idea of a commonwealth of nations is relatively new. It's now fourteen nations. Since the time of her death. In twenty twenty one, Barbados stopped recognizing Elizabeth as head of state became a republic. Jamaica is considering doing the same, so the numbers may change moving forward. They have to officially recognize him. He doesn't
automatically inherit that title. There was talk several days before the coronation that Canada may no longer recognize the British monarch as head of state. Australia just decided to not put Charles's image on their paper currency.
They have an.
Indigenous design instead. Going forward, we shall see.
I've heard you lecture about Queen Elizabeth before she passed, and it's as you said, and all of us knew. She was beloved by many, many, many people. Charles is a very different character though. How popular or unpopular is he?
Well, I do want to say, you know, she had moments of unpopularity as well, but there is a huge difference in their coronations. Britain had come out of those tough years of rebuilding after the war. By nineteen fifty three, rationing was finally over, and there was this feeling now that the nation was moving forward. It still had some of its empire, with the understanding it was going to change, and she was talking about the Imperial family and how
she was going to represent everyone. There isn't this feeling of I think youthfulness of the nation in the post war period, and the last few years had been incredibly tough for the world and of course for Britain with Brexit dividing the name and then the pandemic. It is a different moment in time than nineteen fifty three, so I think that is a challenge for him. But if we think back to those days after his mother died, there was such an outpouring of affection for him that
I have tomit. I was surprised as he walked about the crowds and women were hugging and kissing him, and he didn't seem to mind. So I think that he may do better than I predicted a few months ago.
We'll see how it goes. But I've heard a few people say that somehow when his mother died seems like perception changed, and when he actually becomes king, let's see what happens. Then. You said, when you're referring to Charles, the crown will rest heavy on his shoulders. Is there some sentiment that, maybe, how can I put this, he's the wrong guy for the job, and what does that mean for the monarchy?
Well, you know, he's been waiting his turn since he was four years old, so I know that there were some people before his mother died who said, oh, he's too old, he should just you know, allow his son to be king. That's not the way it happens. I mean,
he's waited for his turn, and he's ready. And I think that in those last few years of her life, the Queen was really trying to smooth his transition, made things a little bit easier for him, and I think just the reception the tabloids have been largely favorable and the public has been more favorable to him recently. It's going to be difficult, obviously to fill those shoes in that Crown, and maybe it won't be as heavy as I once thought and more fair to him now.
The show The Crown, I've seen it here in the United States. I've heard it's very very popular in England. Everybody watches it, and that Charles is not too happy with how he is portrayed in that show. Do you think it's actually impacted his popularity in Britain, especially among younger people who didn't know and didn't live through all the scandalous stuff that's in that show.
From what I read, viewership in the UK of The Crown really escalated in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth the Second's death. I do think though, that you know, even though the royal family said they wanted a disclaimer, and even Judy Dench demanded it from Netflix, so that it's just historical fiction. I do think it was probably Charles who was feeling upset with the way he was portrayed in the previous season in the early years of his marriage with Diana. The last season I felt was more
sympathetic towards Charles. And actually, if we take this series as a whole and we go back to the early years of Charles's life, it really shows that it's hard to say, oh, the poor prince, but his childhood wasn't always an easy one. His parents were largely absent for a lot of key moments in his life. He lived in the shadow of what we would call an alpha male father, and he was more sensitive from the moment of his birth when he was presented, you know, on
display to the royal courtiers. He's always been public property. I think in some ways the public can feel for him, but there are certain things that many both British and American viewers are a little reluctant to forgive, and that of course is the debacle of his marriage to Diana. But his popularity had gone up after his mother died and in the months leading up to the coronation, So we'll see if he gets a boost in the polls
after the coronation as well. But I do think the Crown has hurt and helped him in some ways.
That's a fair enough answer. Now, my mother is not alive right now, but if she was, she would watch this coronation. But I know what she'd say. She'd say, I will never forgive him for Diana. And maybe she's not the only one who would say that. How does that factor it? You have thoughts on.
That, Well, that's something I've said in the past. You know, I was a girl and I watched Diana get married and a grown woman when I watched her funeral, and those were tough moments, and I think a lot of women, British and American could relate to her when she told, you know, all of those stories about her life and her battles with mental illness and infidelity. We have to recall too, that the twenty fifth anniversary of her death was a little more than a week before the Queen's step.
So I think back to her BBC interview right with Martin Bauscher when she said there were three of us in this marriage. There is that figure of Diana that will always loom over them.
Julie. We had expected Camilla to have the title of Queen Consort, but on the invitation to the coronation they called her Queen Camilla. How big a deal is that.
It's not as big a deal as I think some people are made of it when they saw the invitation. She is still the Queen Consort. That is really her official title. It's just very clunky to call someone Queen Consort Camilla, Queen Consort Mary So. Previous queen consorts have typically just been called Queen so and so. The fact is that as the Queen Consort, she'll never be sovereign in her own right. That's why it's significant that people
understand means So he's the sovereign. He has all of the rights and powers that doesn't get passed on to her, even though she's getting crowned in the ceremony. So if he predeceases her, she's never queen in her own right to rule. It still goes to William. So. I think it was a couple of things. The public has slowly
been prepared. First, she was going to be the prince's consort, then Elizabeth before her death said no, she's a queen consort because for some people they still held in their hearts Diana's memory that she should have been the queen consort. But now Charles really wants to prepare the public for her role and to make them accept her more. And I think that's one of the significant reasons for removing a consort from the invitation. But she is still queen consort.
What do people think of Camilla when Diana was alive, that was a complicated situation, but let's skip to twenty twenty three. What's the perception of her now?
Well, when they married in two thousand and five, people booed, right, But now his marriage to her has lasted longer than his marriage to Diana, So I think the public has largely gotten used to them. I don't know if their merchandise from their marriage sells as well as even still the Charles and Diana merchandise. She is less popular than Charles, who is less popular than his mother, but she's still
more popular than Andrew, so that's a good thing. And I think, you know, the tabloids have been kind of working in her favor since the Queen's funeral and we have to remember events like funerals, weddings, births, coronations. It gives all the royals a boost and maybe temporary, but I think this is going to give her a boost as well.
After the break. What to expect at the coronation and what the future holds for William and Kate. We're just a couple of days away from the coronation. Certainly not the first coronation in British history. But how will this coronation be different than any other before it?
Well, he's the oldest monarch to be crowned. I think some things we're going to see will just be fairly standard, right, operation Golden Orb. He's going to be anointed with the Holy Oil. He'll get the orb, the coronation ring, the scepter will be blessed, He'll sit in Edward's chair. Those
things are standard. A couple of things which maybe to us as Americans we don't think are a big deal, but I think are kind of significant because Charles has talked so much about streamlining things, trying to reduce costs. At the same time he wants his special day. So one thing that will observe is that the precession route on the way to the abbey is going to be shorter, and they'll also be in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
That coach was built for Queen Elizabeth's sixtieth anniversary or Diamond Jubilee, and it has heat and air conditioning and it's a lot come fear than the Golden Coach. But he and Camilla will ride back in that gold coach on their way back to the palace so the crowds can see them, and I think everyone kind of expects that gold coach that was still relatively new, that's been used since the time of William the Fourth in eighteen
thirty one. But Queen Elizabeth Second had said that at the time that she had to ride in it both ways. It's a horrible ride. It's so uncomfortable and bumpy, So I think it's for his comfort, but also to show we're streamlining things. The other thing is that the crown that Camilla will be wearing when she has crowned during the coronation. Typically there's a new Tierra design for all
of these ceremonies. Instead, they're sort of recycling and reusing a crown that was Queen Consort Mary from nineteen eleven. It's got two thousand diamonds in it, so it's not a slouchy crown. But that does I think cut costs, and it looks like they're being mindful of certain things. So those, to me, those are actually significant because they're all embedded with very old traditions.
The Queen's Jubilee not that long ago was very expensive, and now we have a coronation. Is there a feeling that maybe too much money is being spent on all this stuff?
There's always that complaint. Made I think about the Queen's first Jubilee in nineteen seventy seven, and my daughter, who loves the sex Pistols, to think about their anthem of protest right of God save the Queen, because those were really tough years of recession, global recession, and what's the idea of spending money when people are suffering? Same thing when Charles and Diana got married had been a very bad winter, the Winter of Discontent, and so spending money
on a fairy tale wedding. So whenever there's one of these events, that criticism is made, like money could be spent in a better way. And Charles was I think he heard some of that, but at the same time, he wants his day in the sun.
Do we know if Harry and Megan will be at the coronation.
So Harry will Meghan has said that she's staying behind. It's their child's birthday, and I think that's a good compromise. But I think that it'll some people who criticize her for not being there. But if she was there, she'd be criticized.
What role will Prince William play in the coronation. There's going to be a focus on William. How's he going to be involved in all of this.
I think we already saw, like immediately after the Queen died, that William and Kate were really taking a front and center role, getting more responsibilities. Even before that, they had done one of those royal tours and it didn't go so well when they were touring some Commonwealth countries who were kind of saying, we don't really want you anymore. So they're going to have to do their work too to convince Commonwealth nations through their royal tours to stay
a part of the Commonwealth. We'll see if they'll succeed. They still give the youth and glamour to the royalty at forty they're still both very good looking, and the tabloids have been really working in Kate's favor as the good princess kind Kate, they double all of these nice things, even though they didn't love her so much in the beginning, but now she's the good princess. So I think as a royal couple, they're going to bring the youth and
glamour that Charles and Camilla can't. But also Charles has had to step back from a lot of his favorite charities. Monarchs, you know, can't be outspoken about their overall views. William and Kate of course, can then take over some of those functions, and by the time they give their turn,
they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the longevity of these royal family members, right, the Queen mon died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six, so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Well, let me follow up on something you just said. He said a king can't really be outspoken in his views.
Why not, He's already being reigned in. They have to be really politically neutral. They can't side with one party over the other. Now, there are ways, of course, in which they can kind of leak their views, thinking back to like the Thatcher years and that one of the newspapers supposedly leaked a story that the Queen was upset with the Conservatives, especially Thatcher, for her support of apartheid and also some of her social welfare policies which the
Queen thought was too cruel. And then you know, during the Scottish referendum and Brexit, you know, the Royals kind of leaked their views about that they are not supposed to express their support for one political issue over another. Charles, as Prince, was definitely more outspoken, sometimes got himself in trouble over that. His big issue, of course, about climate change. It's a very political issue, as we know, but it's
such an important one. So I'm hoping that that is the mantle that his son will take up advocating for policies in that regard. But Charles cant, now.
Julie, let's get down to it. I'm an American, and I admit I have trouble understanding how a monarchy can even exist in a modern country like England. And I know there's some in Britain who agree with me. What are your feelings about that? Could the monarchy be past its prime? Will it ever go away?
We've heard this so many times over the years. I mean, I think back to was at nineteen fifty seven when the scandal where the aristocrat journalist said the queen was too priggish and then he had to apologize. People attacked his home because how dare you insult the monarch? When Diana and Charles divorce, the monarchy was over. When Harry and Meghan gave the interview for OPRAH, people said the
monarchy is over. People on both sides of the political spectrum, if a majority still poll at least the last one I saw, it's favoring a constitutional monarchy, not a republic like the US numbers. As I've said, for among younger people, there are more among younger people they do favor doing a way with the monarchy, but it's still not a majority. And I think that events like this, the royals get bumps from it. What we call a tonic to the nation.
It brings people together. It's a source of national pride and Americans, you know, we watch shows like Downton Abbey and Bridgerton and the Crown and every news show in the morning always gives us, you know, tidbits about the royals. So Americans we pride ourselves on a republic and a democracy, but we love this stuff about aristocracy what we don't have. There's something kind of romantic about it. I don't think it's so romantic to many British people, and don't forget it.
It's also divided for people. When the Queen died, there were people in Northern Ireland who were mourning her and there were others who were kind of not celebrating but not upset. So it's not uniform. You really got to break it down by region. I think as well age how people feel about the monarchy. I'm not predicting its end because people do that all the time and they're always wrong.
Julie, thank you so much for doing this. I learned a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this because it's a big event. Thank you again.
Thank you. I'm looking forward to watching it all.
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