C

Charles

Rev dear Rev: Given the increasingly fragile state of health of the Queen of England, is there any truth in the rumour that the good lady has already relinquished many royal duties to Charles and to the happy couple at Cambridge?

Yes, after a natural no-show at Belfast for the Centenary of the Statelet in 2021, and after a busy summer at Cardiff and Edinburgh, it seems the Queen is herself taking more and more of a back seat in proceedings. We must pray for her at such times. But it is interesting to adumbrate a few of our assumptions, the assumptions we make about the GB monarchy:

- We assume that princes will be deeply embedded in the Army, something Diana did not wish for her husband or her boys;

- We assume that a GB monarch has to be resident all the time in GB mainland zones;

- We assume that Diana's legacy is over, but she speaks from beyond the grave still;

- We assume that princes should live by the Civil List, though Harry is slowly breaking that mould;

- We assume that a residence requirement is a public duty, they must stay here;

- We assume that residence forbids holidays abroad, despite Wallis and Diana and Meghan;

- We assume that the spirituality of the princes to come is establishmentarian and olde worlde;

- We assume that a prince can never become a prince of thieves like Robin Hood, that this is naturally never directly and principally intended by any of the princes, despite current small hints and indicators of some such dimensionality in the background;

- In sum we assume too much, but a prince is to come who will challenge our assumptions, our many pecolleze assumptions about the monarchy.

But Charles however has been quick to show that he is woke, a woke thinker, pioneering green philosophy with the Dalai Llama long before it was really collective and popular. Charles is next in line to the throne with his consort Camilla, so it seems that Charles's own brand of monarchy is slowly emerging. He is:

- Very inspirational, finding much time for watercolour painting;

- Very meditational, likes to visit the Himalayas for inspiration;

- Pioneers green philosophy around the world;

- Promotes peace among nations as much as he feasibly can.

So Charles will bring to the monarchy a new fresh era of international brotherhood and fraternal peace and solidarity with plants and with animals, especially trees and wildlife. He will impart his own stamp to a monarchy that is moving into a new more woke era. With thanks from all of us, especially we poets, to the Queen for all of her courage in her own good time-frame, she has done good, as George W might say.