What does the future hold for our new king? Mike Bartlett outlined one possible scenario in his 2014 play King Charles III. He showed the new monarch, even before his coronation, refusing to give royal assent to a bill restricting the freedom of the press. The decision provokes a constitutional crisis, sparks civil conflict and leads to Charles’s deposition by William and Catherine, who jointly ascend the throne.
Given the pomp and pageantry surrounding Charles’s accession and the crowds thronging the Mall, Bartlett’s script now looks fanciful. Over the last fews days, TV has also endlessly replayed an interview with the then Prince of Wales who was asked, on his 70th birthday, whether he realised he would lose the freedom to express his personal opinions on becoming king. “Of course,” he replied as if pained by the question. “I’m not that stupid.”
