This new monarch ‘wants to change the world’
I think King Charles III is cool, notwithstanding his portrayal in history as the oppressor of one of the most loved royals, Princess Diana.
He is an artist, or has a burning passion for the arts. Not much of that is known about him, though The Old Man of Lochnagar, the instant classic he wrote in 1980, has since been adapted into a BBC animated short film, a ballet by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain, and a well-received musical play for children.
The children’s book was based on a story Charles would tell his brothers Andrew and Edward when they were young—and bored on long summer nights the royal family typically spent at the Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The story is also set in a cave in the cliffs by the lake and valley at the foot of the mountain Lochnagar overlooking the royal summer estate. In a review of the musical adapted from this story, the Nottingham Evening Post said, “If Prince Charles ever decides not to become king, he needn’t worry. His future as a writer for children is assured.”
As it turns out, Charles, the oldest and the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, would be king. And it’s comforting to recall how in the long wait he has immersed himself deeply in the humanities, in being human.
Being heir apparent—or being himself, as it is for many of us—has not always been a walk in the park. Often, it is a royal pain in the ass, especially for Charles, who was bullied back in school just for being a member of the royal household. Like his father, Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, before him, he went to the remote boarding school Gordonstoun on the north coast of Scotland, where the bullies made a mockery of him for being the future king, making slurping sounds around anyone who would approach him to imply that every bit of interaction with Charles was an act of “sucking up.” And so in his teens, already a public property, he was driven to isolation, never quite divulging his situation to anyone, except his family. In 1963, he wrote home: “The people in my dormitory are foul. They throw slippers all night long or hit me with pillows. I wish I could come home.”
Charles turned to art in his isolation. According to Gordonstoun, based on his school records, he enjoyed music and drama, involving himself in a number of school productions, such as The Pirates of Penzance, where he played the Pirate King. He was also a fan of William Shakespeare, whom he referred to as “the world’s greatest playwright.” At a school production of Henry V, he was a scenestealer in his role as Exeter. He also played the lead in Macbeth.
It was in Gordonstoun that Charles was introduced to painting by his art teacher Robert Waddell, although his father might have been an early influence, as well as his mother, a hobby photographer. In a full exhibition of his works, organized early this year by his charity project The Prince’s Foundation at the Garrison Chapel in the former Chelsea Barracks in London, he said of watercolor painting, “You become increasingly aware of things that may have escaped your attention previously—things like the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape. It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know.”
Charles describes himself as an “enthusiastic amateur.” “I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent,” he said. “They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of ‘photograph album’ and, as such, mean a great deal to me.” And yet he has sold many of his paintings and litographs reportedly for millions of pounds, all for a good cause, every sterling going to the Prince’s Foundation.
Charles’ support of traditional arts and crafts knows no bounds. He cofounded with former British politician Rory Stewart and former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, for instance, the Scotland-based NGO Turquoise Mountain whose sole purpose is to help artists and artisans in Afghanistan and other countries.
Pundits say King Charles III has big shoes to fill and he does. His late mother, a grandmother figure to all, had been a solid icon of duty, faith, family, and tradition for 70 years, beloved even by non-monarchists. Although she was involved in many public causes, it was to her unconstitutional to express personal opinion, particularly on political issues. Charles doesn’t always keep his opinions to himself.
I’ve had this extraordinary feeling, for years and years, ever since I can remember really, of wanting to heal and make things better. —King Charles III
In the 1980s, he opposed a proposed extension to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London, calling it a “monstrous carbuncle.” He put his foot down on what he termed “ugly” modern architecture, but his crusade did not stop at words. In the next decade, he backed the construction of Poundbury, a model village built in neo-classical Georgian style, on a royal estate in Dorset on the English Channel coast in southwest England. In 2013, through the Duchy of Cornwall, he championed the redevelopment of Nansledan, an extension to the Cornish coastal town east of Newquay, into his vision of a thriving town with more than 4,000 new homes, a high street, urban farm, church, school, and more.
Raised an Anglican, Charles is open-minded about religion. In a 1994 interview, he cited the difference between “defender of the faith” and “defender of faith,” pointing out that he would prefer to be the latter. He believes in inter-faith dialogue, having exposed himself to in-depth studies of the Quran and Judaism, Catholic traditions, and the way of life for Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus. “The future surely lies in rediscovering the universal truths that dwell at the heart of these religions,” he once said.
These potential trouble spots notwithstanding, there is so much about King Charles III to love.
He is a farmer, a garderner, a horticulturist by hobby. For decades, he has been a proponent of sustainability, having said, for example, in his capacity as manager of the Duchy Home Farm, where he had raised pigs, sheep, and cattle on the principles of organic farming, that “the very future of humanity may depend to a very large extent on a mainstream transition to more sustainable farming practices.”
He is a staunch environmentalist and one proof is how he converted his Aston Martin to run on biofuel made from surplus English white wine and whey from cheese processing.
He is also no stranger to hard work to the point that in the BBC documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, his son Prince Harry said of him, “He does need to slow down.” His wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, queen consort, described his work ethic as overzealous. “He would like to change the world,” she said.
Social media is abuzz with anti-Charles sentiments, but we have to give King Charles III a chance. The road ahead for him is tough, but on a visit to Romania in 2017 to help restore several buildings in Transylvania using traditional methods and furnishings, he shared in a boast that he was a distant relative of the 15th-century prince, Vlad the Impaler, via his Transylvanian great-great-great grandmother, so I have no doubt he can hack it.
Long live the king!