Ever since he took over as the monarch when Queen Elizabeth II died, many royal watchers have given an opinion of how long King Charles III’s reign will last. That’s because at an age when most people have already retired Charles got the biggest and most important job of his life. It’s also a job his mother held for more than 70 years. Although King Charles’ reign won’t be that long, can he still create a legacy like his mother’s?
According to a former palace aide, the answer is no as Charles’ reign is only serving one purpose now.
Paul Burrell began working in the royal household when he was 18 years old and became Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to the household of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana and served as Diana’s butler until her death. He does not believe that Charles has enough time left in his reign to create a “strong legacy” like his mother.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, the formal royal employee opined: “I don’t think [King Charles] has the time to create a strong legacy for his reign unless he goes back to his roots and starts to campaign for the environment, for the homeless, but then it’s straying into political territory. As Prince of Wales he could do that. As monarch he can’t so I think Diana’s prophecy, when she said ‘I think my husband will find it rather limiting’ has come true.”
Some royal watchers also argue that because he is in his mid-70s now, King Charles is just a placeholder for his oldest son. Burrell likes to think of the king as the “caretaker” of the monarchy now, who will keep it going until Prince William takes over.
“I have seen the king keeping quite a low profile in his first year as a caretaker monarch, as I like to call it. Because he is keeping the shop ticking over, he is looking after the business but not expanding on it or changing it radically,” Burrell explained. “I think it’s going to be a very quiet reign to keep the family firm ticking over and keep everything in its right place until William … and that will be an interesting transition.
“This is a make-do and mend monarchy that will continue to be like that until we get to Kate and William. Charles is not really changing his main views. He is just adapting them slightly. In a way, he is almost shrinking the monarchy and cling-wrapping it until it is ready for the next generation. This is very much a caretaker situation.”
