Stimulating story of the royal family from fluent writer who knows

A CAPACITY crowd greeted royal biographer Robert Hardman, who came to St Leonard’s Church to speak about his recent bestselling book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story.

It’s well known that people have widely varying opinions about the monarchy, but Mr Hardman was not out to tackle that discussion head-on, nor to probe the well-publicised rifts within the royal family.

Instead, his focus was firmly on the last days of Queen Elizabeth II and the handing over of the crown to the new king.

The late Queen and her son are “royal record breakers” on account of the length of time Elizabeth was on the throne and the length of time Charles served as heir to the throne.

Mr Hardman dispelled any myths that Charles was impatient for the crown but emphasised how he now enjoys being king, happy and serene in the role, despite the heavy responsibilities and troubles with his own health.

Mr Hardman is a fluent, appealing and hugely knowledgeable speaker.

He gave a sensitive and respectful account of the Queen’s final days, including her appointing a new prime minister shortly before she died.

It was fascinating to gain insights into matters of family and state as arrangements were made for the Queen’s funeral.

Mr Hardman reminded us of the huge public outpouring of grief when the Queen died but also observed that Charles could not take private time and space to grieve himself as a son who had lost his mother.

Rather, he was required to embark upon a busy programme of events and state visits.

The next elaborate event to be organised was the coronation of the new King and his Queen, Camilla, in May 2023.

The theme was a changing Britain and a more diverse team was involved in proceedings than had been the case for Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. Charles set a new precedent of inviting heads of state and Mr Hardman acknowledged the practical challenges of co-ordinating the many flights coming into London, bearing leaders from across the globe.

He took a humorous look at other practicalities: who would have considered, for example, that the crown jewels would have to be adjusted to fit the head of a new monarch?

From among the coronation formalities — the Recognition, the Anointing, the Coronation Oath and the Homage — the message from King Charles III was clear: “I come not to be served, but to serve”.

Charles took a keen personal interest in commissioning music for the event.

According to Mr Hardman, the King has not ducked the big and difficult issues but neither has he courted controversy, working co-operatively with
the Government and other agencies.

The changes he has made are, so far, small but important.

He is well known for his interest in the environment and has made a feature of planting trees whenever and wherever possible.

Mr Hardman finished by acknowledging the challenges ahead but expressing confidence that the monarchy, including future generations, will adapt to meet them.

This talk, arranged by the Friends of Watlington Library, in the beautiful, serene setting of St Leonard’s Church, made for a very pleasant and stimulating evening.

Susan Creed