What to expect from the reign of King Charles III

Charles, then pictured as Prince of Wales (right) by the The Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber, in the Houses of Parliament, in London, on May 10, 2022. Photo: Ben Stansall / POOL / AFP

Analysis – The news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II marks the beginning of the reign of King Charles III. The transition period has already seen questions raised about whether we can expect the new king to be “interventionist”.

These concerns are based on several incidents over the years. As Prince of Wales, Charles was outspoken on political issues and was found to have been lobbying ministers on issues of his own personal interest. More recently, concerns were raised about a cash donation the former prime minister of Qatar made to the Prince’s charities.

However, the reality of the new king’s reign is set to be very different and a lot less controversial. Here’s why:

The role of a constitutional monarchy

While King Charles III is now head of state, that state remains a constitutional monarchy. That means the ability to make and pass legislation resides with the elected parliament alone. Since the reign of King John and the 1215 signing of Magna Carta, the UK has had a system of monarchy limited by law. The monarch does have to give “royal assent” to a bill before it can become law but these days that is considered a formality, and a custom, rather than a process involving any real input from the monarch.

For the system to survive, the king must be an uncontroversial figure, and remain politically neutral. History tells us what happens when a monarch tries to wield too much arbitrary power. For example, the tension between the Crown and its subjects was seen when King Charles I entered Parliament in 1642 to arrest parliamentarians for treason. Revolution followed and, for a short period, the UK became a republic.

The Crown was restored in 1660 with King Charles II. But the Bill of Rights passed in 1689, coupled with the 1611 Case of Proclamationthat states a king cannot make law without the consent of Parliament, forces the Crown to accept the will of the democratically elected parliament of the day.

Practically speaking, the new king is acutely aware of the change that he must now make. Constitutional conventions that did not apply to him when he was a prince must now guide his every action as king. When it comes to political meddling, the King has made it clear that he knows his approach must now be different. During his 70th birthday interview in 2018, he said:

“I’m not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course I understand entirely how that should operate. The idea somehow that I’m going to go on exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense. Because the two situations are completely different.”