A royal expert has warned that it won't be easy for the public to accept Charles as king – and claimed that the Royal family will face fresh challenges after the Queen’s funeral.
Pauline Maclaran, a professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway University, co-authored with Cele C. Otnes the book titled Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture. Prof Maclaran said there would be an adjustment period for the royal brand as it transitioned into the King Charles III era.
She said that there would be a honeymoon period for the new King as the public waited for his mother’s funeral to take place. But she warned it would be harder for Charles to gain public sympathy amid the scandals involving his brother Prince Andrew and with his second son Harry and his wife, Meghan.
Prof Maclaran said: “I think this will be a big adjustment for the royal brand as it transitions into the King Charles III era. Many people have been used to the Queen at its helm for over 70 years and it will not be easy for the public to accept Charles in her place.
“We should not conflate support and admiration for the Queen with support for the monarchy. There will be a honeymoon period for King Charles as the memory of his mother remains vivid and the state funeral takes place.
“However, in the longer term, the monarchy is likely to face fresh challenges, particularly in relation to the various family dynamics, such as the scandals with Prince Andrew and Harry and Meghan’s various revelations.
“It will be more difficult for Charles to gain public sympathy. It is likely that he will put emphasis on the family aspects of the royal family brand in order to convince the public of the monarchy’s future.
“This will be in relation to William and Kate and their family as well as possibly the roles of Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
“But William and Kate will be looked to for the future survival of the monarchy.”
In January 2021, another author, Clive Irving, claimed in an interview that the Prince of Wales was “entirely unsuitable” to be the next head of the Royal family. Citing the royal’s popularity compared to the Queen and William, he said it would be better if the crown could “jump straight” to the Duke of Cambridge.
Back then, Mr Irving, author of The Last Queen, told The Express that the Queen was “more modern” than her son, calling her “very timeless”. He added: “It's a pity they can't jump straight from the Queen to William; they can't do that because that's not how the constitution works”.
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