King Carlos III waited his whole life to wear the crown. With his coronation this weekend the real royal work begins, and it involves navigating scandals and complicated family relationships that could cloud his reign and the monarchy itself.
Past and current problems with Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and even his wife, Camilla, could overshadow the new king’s rule if not handled carefully, royal experts say.
«The royal family is one of the more visible and subdued aspects of the overall brand of the crown,» said Cele Otnes, co-author of «Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture.» “It’s hard to manage people,” she added.
Andrew
First on the list of people to be checked is the King’s younger brother, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who has been plagued by sexual abuse allegations related to his long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant, the British socialite. Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in 2021.
Virginia Giuffre’s allegations that she had been trafficked with Andrew and forced to have sex with him dogged Prince Andrew for years and, in November 2019, a high-profile BBC interview with the royal that he clearly intended to rejecting the claims failed spectacularly. Shortly thereafter, he stepped away from his public duties.
Despite a widely circulated image of the couple together, Andrew has maintained that he never met Giuffre, who he said was 17 when the British royal sexually abused her.
In August 2021, a United States judge allowed a civil lawsuit filed by Giuffre to proceed. Buckingham Palace said in a statement that Andrew would fight the case «as a private citizen.» Andrew and Giuffre would later come to a legal agreement. in which he agreed to make a substantial donation to his charity in support of victims’ rights. He also stated that he never intended to defame his character.
In a brutal and humiliating exercise in damage control, in 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages. As a result, Andrew can no longer use «His Royal Highness» of him in any capacity, a royal source told NBC News at the time, and he has relinquished a dozen military titles and more than 100 endorsements.
Andrew, 63, has also been marred by his alleged associations with dictators and corrupt Middle Eastern leaders, and by allegations that he was part of a «money for access» scam with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Both have vehemently denied the allegations.
Charles’ ability to keep a tight rein on his younger brother is essential if he is to maintain the respect of the British public, said David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance, a London-based consultancy firm.
«Andrew is a mess,» Haigh said. “For years, he has had a reputation as a playboy and a man with many rights. King Charles has done the right thing by freezing it.»
Harry and Megan
Andrew is not the only prince who has been a source of controversy in the royal family in recent years. So has Prince Harry, Charles’s youngest son.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, stepped down as working royals on January 8, 2020, in what UK tabloids colorfully dubbed a «Megxit.»
The couple, who have now moved to California, have given a series of high-octane interviews explaining their move and taking aim at the country’s monarchy and tabloids. Harry, 38, has also published a revealing memoir, «Spare», in which he claims that his older brother Prince William physically attacked him, also claiming that members of the royal family were cold, disconnected and exhibiting » unconscious bias”.
In a March 7, 2021 interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that in the months leading up to the birth of her son Archie, a royal expressed «concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when was born».
A rare comment in response to the outrage unleashed on behalf of the queen was posted two days later, on March 9:
“The entire family is saddened to learn how challenging recent years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are troubling. While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family.»
On March 11, Prince William responded to a reporter’s question during a visit to a school in London by saying: «We are not a racist family at all.»
Harry and Meghan also targeted the royal family in their Netflix documentary series, accusing them of actively fueling negative media coverage that they said helped drive Meghan to suicidal thoughts and caused the couple to leave the country.
Harry has alleged that Meghan was forced to endure bullying and racist coverage without the support of the royal house, while Camilla, his father’s former lover, was rehabilitated in the public eye. In fact, he claimed that the royal communications team would plant negative stories about him and Meghan. He reserves much of his anger for what he describes as an unhealthy relationship between royalty and an intrusive press.
This outing of family grievances and dirty laundry has come at a crucial time in Charles’s life.
«Something that a lot of people will find difficult is… breaking up the relationship,» according to historian Alice Loxton. «It’s tragic all around that that relationship has collapsed.»
But while «Spare» and several «Megxit» interviews made international headlines, going directly against the famous royal family maxim of «never complain, never explain,» the complicated relationship between Charles and Harry may have boosted Charles’ reputation, according to Haigh. .
«I think there are a number of people who are sympathetic to King Charles about Harry’s situation and how he handled it,» Haigh said.
Rather than publicly criticize Harry for his tell-all book and interviews, Charles has refrained from any formal comment. He also invited Harry to the coronation on Saturday. Harry will be there, but Meghan won’t. It is not clear if Meghan was also invited.
«Prince Harry is on the sidelines, throwing bricks, and King Charles is trying really hard to keep an olive branch,» Haigh said. «I think Charles is doing the right thing, marginalizing him, but trying to maintain a relationship with his son.»
It’s a balancing act that can work well with the public, Otnes said.
«I think his ability to express empathy is one of the pleasant surprises of King Charles’ reign,» he added.
That’s not to say Harry and Meghan’s accusations against the royal family won’t continue to make headlines, but polls indicate the couple’s popularity has slipped: Meghan’s favor fell from 40% in Q3 2020 to 23 % in the first three months. this year, and Harry dropped from 45% two years ago to 25% earlier this year, according to a recent study YouGov survey.
“There is so much confusion around him that I think a lot of his allegations are losing credibility,” Otnes said.
Kensington Palace, which represents William, and Buckingham Palace, which represents Charles, declined to comment on the allegations made in «Spare.»
Camila
Beyond Harry, Meghan and Andrew, Charles also has to convince the public that his own scandals are a thing of the past.
Charles was in a long-term extramarital affair with his current wife, Camilla, while he was still married to Princess Diana. This led Diana to say in an explosive 1995 TV interview: «There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.»
Charles and Camilla were married on April 9, 2005, in a groundbreaking event as it involved the heir to the throne marrying a divorcee, something previously taboo.
The relatively low-key civil ceremony in the equivalent of a town hall, the absence of the queen from the wedding (but not the blessing afterwards), and the inclusion of vows to «sincerely repent» of «many sins and wrongdoings» of the past fueled the perception that the couple was under a cloud.
But some continue to keep Camilla at arm’s length. an april poll by Ipsos shows she’s tied with Meghan on the list of least popular royals.
“You will always see people who loved Diana who resent Camilla,” Otnes said. «With the coronation, there will be a lot of talk about who could be queen now, if Diana had lived.»
Crucially, Camilla seemed to have won the support of the late queen.
Her transition from «other woman» to royal can be traced by changes to her title. When the couple got married, it was announced that she would be called «princess consort» when her husband became king. In 2022, Elizabeth made it clear that Camilla should be queen consort upon Charles’ accession. And in recent weeks, it has been confirmed that she would simply be titled Queen Camilla.
As Charles prepares for the coronation, polls have shown that he is not as popular as his mother, Elizabeth, was. An Ipsos survey conducted in the spring of 2022 found that 86% of respondents were satisfied with the work Elizabeth was doing.
Meanwhile, 49% of Britons polled said Charles is doing a good job as king, and 32% said he’s doing neither a good nor a bad job, according to an Ipsos poll last month.
Still, Charles may be doing better than many expected.
«The authority of King Charles has been absolutely blind,» Hagan said, using a sporting term to describe something extremely well done. «Never in my life have I seen someone get a makeover… like we’ve seen from them, Prince Charles and now King Charles III.»