Can the world cope with King Charles and Queen Camilla? A look at life under the next monarch after the Queen

CONTRARY to popular opinion that the crown will go to Prince William, Charles — the world’s most patient trainee — WILL be king.

KING Charles III and Queen Camilla. Are you ready?

Last week a detailed report revealed exactly what will happen when the Queen dies, including the use of a secret code to prevent news leaking out before officials have been notified.

From there a plan will kick off to alert the world that the longest-serving head of state has died.

But when the time comes, is the world ready for Charles to take the throne, and for Camilla to be by his side as Queen?

Contrary to popular opinion, Charles — the world’s most patient trainee with the hardest act on the planet to follow — will be king.

Just as Queen Elizabeth became the new monarch upon the death of her father, King George VI — on February 6, 1952, while she was on tour in Kenya — Charles will be King from the moment the Queen passes away.

Australian Monarchist League succession expert James Ellis told news.com.au that any romantic notion of skipping over Charles to bestow the monarchy on his popular son Prince William was fanciful.

“It’s not popularity contest,” Mr Ellis said, “the heir to the throne does not renounce their right to succession.

“Charles will be king.”

Mr Ellis said the idea of Charles’s renouncing his right to the throne may have its roots in the abdication of the Queen’s uncle Edward VIII, which left his brother — the Queen’s father — to be king.

The event took place in 1936, and was a “constitutional crisis” for the monarchy.

But Mr Ellis said Edward VIII was a “reluctant” vacated of his rightful inheritance and that times had changed since an English king had to abdicate before marrying a twice divorced woman such as Wallis Simpson.

“It was an issue then because the king is also the head of the Church of England,” he said.

Her Majesty Magazine’s editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward agreed notions of the crown skipping over Charles to land on William were incorrect.

“Being the heir to the throne is not a job,” she said.

“It is a heredity thing and whether you like it or not you are next in line, i.e. Charles and then William.

“So of course Charles will become King ... unless he dies before his mother.”

Once disliked, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has done much to achieve public acceptance and will likely be even more public when she is Queen. Picture: Hugo Burnand.

Big shoes to fill: Prince Charles and his mother the Queen share a hearty laugh at the Braemar Gathering in Scotland, a 900-year-old tradition almost as old as the English monarchy. Picture: Chris Jackson.

Romantic speculation about Prince William leapfrogging his father to be the next king when the Queen dies are nonsense. Picture: Thibault Camus.

When the Queen does pass away the succession will happen quickly and according to a very specific plan.

“The day after the Queen’s death, the flags will go back up, and at 11am, Charles will be proclaimed king,” The Guardian reported in its widely read ‘London Bridge is down’: the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death.

Inside St James Palace before Britain’s Accession Council, Richard Tillbrook, clerk of Britain’s Privy Council will read out the proclamation of the new king.

Charles will then introduce his wife as Queen Camilla.

In the past, it has been suggested that Camilla would take on the title of “Princess Consort” so as not to insult the public’s memory of the Queen. But historically the wives of English Kings have been referred to as “Queen”.

Trumpeters will blow their horns from the palace balcony, ritual proclamations will begin and then King Charles II and Queen Camilla will step out to greet the crowds.

It may not be for another year that Charles’ coronation ceremony is held, but Australians for Constitutional Monarchy’s national convener, Professor David Flint said that “sacred” moment will be so unusual and special, it may even captivate cynics.

“It is the last true coronation in the world, a mystical and religious ceremony that survives today,” he said.

“The Archbishop [of Canterbury] is actually crowning the king, anointing him with holy oil. It goes back to the kings of Israel.

“At the Queen’s coronation they televised everything else, but there was still a canopy over the Queen so scared was that moment.”

While no-one is ushering out the Queen just yet, understandably there is speculation about what will happen next, especially given a couple of recent bouts of ill health.

This Christmas-New Year season, the Queen’s heavy cold meant she missed a series of public engagements and went unseen, sparking rumour she was seriously ill.

Now she is well again, the Queen — even at age 90 — appears robust and the notion of her death comfortably distant.

Charles’ time as monarch — even if like his parents he lives into his 90s — may at best span 25 years.

“Because of his age when he ascends to the throne — well into his 70s — Charles will be seen as a transitory monarch, compared with the Queen,” said Mr Ellis.

“Next in line is William, and then George, and there will be a series of titles bestowed on William and Harry after Charles is king.

“We will see three generations of kings which is what society was used to in the English monarch before Elizabeth II.”

Mr Ellis said because Queen Elizabeth had reigned for 60 years people had come to associate the word Queen with the sovereign. Therefore it may be difficult for her subjects to think of ‘Queen Camilla’.

And while Camilla will be by her husband’s side as he takes the throne she will not have any ruling power.

“She will be Queen consort, with no ruling power whatsoever,” said Mr Ellis.

Details of what exactly happens when the Queen dies leads to the question of how Britain and the world will respond to Kings Charles III and his Queen Camilla. Picture: Anwar Hussein.

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, a solemn but afterwards joyous occasion that led to the second Elizabethan age of Britain which will end when the 90-year-old monarch dies. Picture: Reg Speller.

People resented Camilla Parker-Bowles (above, right, with Princess Diana in 1980) for being ‘the third person’ in Diana and Charles’s marriage. Picture: Express Newspapers.

The Guardian predicted a “huge and very genuine outpouring of deep emotion” in the wake of the Queen’s death to tide over the “awkward facts of succession”.

James Ellis said people will remember the Queen as “a stabilising force in a rapidly changing world” and may have to adjust to Charles as her successor.

“When you think of the Queen’s reign, from just seven years after the end of World War II, there isn’t a single global event in recent history she hasn’t been witness to,” he said.

“She’s been an anchoring point and will be missed. But Charles will know what to do.

“It’s been the longest apprenticeship and may at first seem like being the warm up act after the main event.

“One of the first things he will do is tour the Commonwealth and I believe he will be well received.”

Professor Flint, said Charles “will be the sort of king you want: he will be dignified, he is a man of good will, interest in service and has a good sense of humour”

“There is an opinion poll that says his son is more popular, but I think Charles will be accepted,” Professor Flint said.

“People are already warming to him, as interesting a man as he is.

“He may upset some people with his personal opinions about architecture and global warming, but I think he won’t continue to express those opinions as king.”

Throughout the Commonwealth, opinions rage about the next monarch’s capacity to rule.

Is he fit for the job? Is he a doddering old greenie who talks to plants and who married the woman with whom he cheated on — poor, dead Diana?

There will also be some reflection on how different it would have been with Queen Diana, even 20 years after her death.

But James Ellis said that as time has passed and Charles’ image has “mellowed”, Camilla has also been accepted, and her genuine work for a list of worthy causes recognised.

Prince Charles (above, left) with Prince Philip, a baby Princess Anne and The Queen, is the world’s longest trainee job applicant. Picture: Getty.

Prince Charles (centre, with the Queen Mother, left, and Princess Margaret, right) at his mother’s 1953 coronation ceremony, which despite his glumness was a joyous occasion. Picture: Topical Press Agency.

Prince Charles, above being crowned Prince of Wales by his mother the Queen, will be proclaimed the King of England the day after her death. Picture: Hulton Archive.

Revelations in a new book, Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life say Prince Philip bullied Charles into marrying Diana because his true love, Camilla, was not a virgin, as was customary for the bride of the future king.

She had married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, but it has been speculated she rekindled her earlier romance with Prince Charles by the late 1970s.

What later emerged did not endear her to Charles’s future subjects, particularly after Diana’s tragic death in a 1997 car accident.

Their relationship, which became public after he and Diana divorced, attracted international scrutiny until their 2005 wedding, after which many “forgave” Camilla.

Sam Knight says in London Bridge is down, “Camilla’s accession as queen will test how far [her quiet success] ... has come”.

But James Ellis believes Camilla might be a quiet achiever as consort to her king.

“She’s not a Princess Diana or a Kate Middleton, but she has made achievements in her role and there is a warmth about her,” he said.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has grown into the job which will help when she becomes Queen. Picture: Arthur Edwards.

Long may she reign over us: It has been a great age since the June, 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (above with Prince Philip, following the ceremony) but it is drawing to a close. Picture: Keystone.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (right) will be replaced on her death by (left) Charles and Camilla and king and queen of England. Picture: Ben Stansall.

The Duchess has been raising awareness about rape and sexual abuse, talking with victims in the UK and around the world.

A big reader, she is also an advocate for literacy, once saying: “I firmly believe in the importance of igniting a passion for reading in the next generation”.

Her other causes include animal welfare, poverty and homelessness.

Queen Elizabeth (pictured in 1953 with Prince Charles and Princess Anne meeting Sir Winston Churchill) has endured through many leaders and world events. Picture: Central Press.

Charles (above, with Boris Johnson, Prince Harry and Princess Anne behind him) will introduce Queen Camilla upon his proclamation as king of England. Picture: Stuart C. Wilson.

In Papua New Guinea, Prince Charles (pictured here in Port Moresby) is known as “nambawan pikinini biltong Mises Kwin” — the number one child belonging to Mrs Queen.

James Ellis says the early days of the new king will include Prince William inheriting his father’s titles such as Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesey.

“Harry will also probably get a dukedom,” Mr Ellis said.

“Whether William becomes Prince of Wales is up to Charles, because it is an invested title which has to be bestowed.

“But I would expect that would happen in the first year or two.”

September 1960: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and infant Prince Andrew, Princess Anne (left) and Prince Charles, right, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Picture: Keystone.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s tour of the Commonwealth within the first year of his reign would help to place their stamp on the sovereignty.

Some countries might use the occasion to usher in a republic, but would Australians vote to end the British monarch as out head of state?

Professor Flint says support for an Australian republic has declined since the 1999 referendum, and young people were more wary of what he describes as a flawed model of governance.

“Republicans will see it as the moment to strike, but when Charles becomes king, it will happen in the blink of an eye,” he said.

“There will be an enormous retrospective over the Queen’s reign. That will dominate, and then people will become fascinated with the coronation.”

He said the royal family as a whole had grown in appeal for their “sense of service, sense of grace” and that respect would extend to the new king, who might see a bounce in his personal polls.

James Ellis was confident the people would warm to Charles.

He said the crowds who come out to greet the couple may not match the throngs who cheered the new Queen and her husband on the 1954 tour of the Commonwealth.

During their 58 days in Australia, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited 57 cities and towns.

An estimated 75 per cent of the population turned out and the royal tour was the biggest single event organised in Australia before that date.

“People say Charles won’t draw those sorts of crowds,” Mr Ellis said.

“Again, it’s a different era, when people can watch a royal tour on their iPhones rather than be there, but he will be a good monarch.”

After his coronation as King of England, Charles and Camilla (pictured in Adelaide in 2012) will tour the Commonwealth which comprises 53 member states. Picture: Morne de Klerk.