King Charles III steps up to destiny of service and duty

The Queen’s coffin, covered in the Royal Standard, has begun the journey south, stopping in Edinburgh for the Scots to pay their respects at Holyrood Palace and in St Giles Cathedral. Thousands stood in mourning in villages and along Highland lanes. In London, King Charles III has started his reign as his mother would have wished. Saturday’s Accession Council ceremony at St James’s Palace, in front of many of the Privy Council, a body with antecedents dating back to pre-Norman Anglo-Saxon times, was steeped in tradition. It was televised for the first time, bringing Brits, Australians and the Commonwealth closer to a process that underscores the continuity and stability at the base of the Westminster system of government. Following the proclamation, the new King’s reign was also proclaimed in the Square Mile, the business heart of the city, at centres across the British Isles and on Sunday, at noon, at Parliament House in Canberra. Charles III, by the Grace of God, is now King of Australia, Governor-General David Hurley announced. It is renewal through a centuries-old process, which few Australians or others have encountered before. Only 14 per cent of Australians, as John Howard noted on Saturday, have known a monarch other than Elizabeth II.

For the King, few speeches could have mattered more than his address on Friday, in which he indicated he would emulate her as an enduring champion of faith, hope and duty. He paid tribute to his mother’s dedication and devotion that “never wavered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss’’. Her life of service, he said, combined an “abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress’’. It proved a potent combination for 70 years. The King also pledged to continue the vow of service his mother made as a 21-year-old in 1947, and to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of Britain (and Australia).

He indicated, importantly, that he intended to reign above politics, leaving the charities and issues about which he cares deeply “in the trusted hands of others’’. That is eminently sensible, especially in Britain and across the world, including in Australia, in the difficult transition from fossil fuels as nations face serious energy shortages and soaring power costs. Anthony Albanese believes that the King, while not engaging in political matters, should remain a strong voice on climate change. Many would disagree, others would agree. During a BBC interview in 2018, then-Prince Charles said he was proud of his campaigning but would not continue it once he ascended the throne. “I’m not that stupid,’’ he said. What he intends to do, he said on Friday, is to serve the people of his country, and the Commonwealth, regardless of their background, “with loyalty, respect and love’’. His words possibly helped draw his sons and their wives together on Saturday.

Tributes flowing for his mother are a reminder of the shoes he has to fill, in his own way. In Brisbane, Archbishop Mark Coleridge tweeted: “I serve,’’ she said as she ascended the throne … so she did serenely, through 70 turbulent years. “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness.’’ Equally heartfelt was the message on a bunch of flowers in London’s Green Park by Leigh, and her 10 year-old daughter Isabel: “My daughter and I have known you all our lives. You were with us at Christmas, on the pennies in our pockets, and the stamps on our letters and cards. You were a constant that can never be replaced, the end of an era. You will be dreadfully missed and the only comfort we can take from all the sadness is that you’re with your beloved husband Philip. RIP Your Majesty, we will never forget you.’’