By elda cantu
Senior News Editor, Latin America
Some lives are more fated than others. the one of Carlos Felipe Arturo Jorge Mountbatten-Windsor is one of them. The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip has lived for more than 70 years with the knowledge that one day he would become king.
Saturday will finally be crowned. Brimming with pomp and circumstance, the event has mobilized resources, attention and created expectations around the world. But in the UK, the ceremony is viewed with indifference by many people.
“It seems that the appreciation for the monarchy is something older,” said a 24-year-old British man recently. “My parents like it. They love the royal family. For me it is ‘what there is’”.
In addition to the generation gap, disinterest is also explained by the current economic situation of the country, with the highest inflation rate in Western Europe, a 20 percent rise in food prices and a deterioration in household living conditions. (Speaking of money, Carlos III has not only inherited his mother’s fortune, but also has spent decades increasing his personal wealth).
And, on a more individual level, as Mark Landler, the Times’ London bureau chief, explained, “At 74, Carlos is a well-known figure, whose flaws have been scrutinized in the media for decades and who remains the head of a dysfunctional family.
Some believe that, unlike his mother, who became the young face of a century-old institution, the king lacks the charisma and willingness of the public to give him symbolism capable of inspiring or invigorating the country. That is not to say that Carlos III does not have provocative or even progressive views. It has been known for a long time who has an interest in nature, the environment and organic farming.
In fact, his opinions were mocked at the time: he was ridiculed for talking to his plants and playing them music. But, as Kim Severson, a food culture correspondent, reported, the new king will have a chance to push his agenda forward: “It remains to be seen whether the king will continue to be a strong advocate of progressive food and farm policies. His mother maintained strict political neutrality, and Carlos knows that he will have to temper his impulses to be outspoken.”
In a recent survey of more than 3,000 adults in the UK, a third of those surveyed said they were interested in the coronation. “For Charles III, Saturday May 6 is the first big test to see if he can take the helm of a more austere, modern monarchy that is relevant – or at least not objectionable – to the majority of Britons.” wrote historian Hannah Rose Woods in a recent opinion essay. We will have to wait a little longer to judge if Carlos III manages to arouse attention and sympathy towards his causes and thus acquires relevance.