King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort

[Hermit]

For some reason, I do attribute a modicum of legitimacy to the House of Stuart, though of course, the houses of Mac Alpin, or of Dunkeld/Canmore would be more legitimate if a decent heir could be found, since they don't bear the Norman taint.

Their claim to legitimacy rests on "divine right". Can you think of a better one to justify rulership passed on from one member of a family to another?

[Svartalf]

I wish I had a better idea, but the bunch of corrupt swine, incapable morons, and combinations thereof that elective systems have yielded does not make them seem all that better than hereditary monarchies... of course, even in those, for one Elizabeth, there are mulitples of George III, Ethelred the Unready, charles the Mad and other disastrous rulers...

[Hermit]

I wish I had a better idea, but the bunch of corrupt swine, incapable morons, and combinations thereof that elective systems have yielded does not make them seem all that better than hereditary monarchies... of course, even in those, for one Elizabeth, there are mulitples of George III, Ethelred the Unready, charles the Mad and other disastrous rulers...

So, what is the modicum of legitimacy you attribute to monarchs?

The way I see the situation is that the bunch of corrupt swine, incapable morons, and combinations thereof can claim at least a modicum of legitimacy by virtue of the fact - as you noted - that we have voted them into office. Isn't that a somewhat better justification than divine or hereditary right?

[Tero]

Another King George lined up.

[Brian Peacock]

I've had enough of the doggerel that's passing for news coverage at the moment - they're basically just reading from the Palace press release.

[Hermit]

I've had enough of the doggerel that's passing for news coverage at the moment - they're basically just reading from the Palace press release.

The BBC snipped the bit preceding Charles' speech, and no wonder.

[Tero]

Quuen flying now. But she never will get the frequent flier miles Reagan got. In his coffin.

[Brian Peacock]

Scottish crowds turn out for the Queen but support for the monarchy less clear

It has become Scotland’s largest public event of modern times; hundreds of thousands of people gathered on roadsides, in farm fields and on bridges as the Queen’s funeral cortege drove 170 miles from Balmoral to Edinburgh.

The crowd in Edinburgh’s Old Town as her hearse passed along the Royal Mile on Sunday was the densest the city has seen. That display of compassion, curiosity and, for some, fealty could suggest the support for monarchism in Scotland is deeper than many suspected.

The observance was understated, restrained. There were very few union flags or saltires on display; only a handful of flowers were thrown under the hearse’s wheels. Applause could be heard occasionally but chiefly the crowds were silent.

Unionists among the 1.4 million Scots who vote for anti-independence parties are likely to draw strength from that. “I think this will establish how strong the feeling is for being part of the UK. That’s part of the reason I’m here,” said Elizabeth Alexander, watching the cortege pass with her grandchildren in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, on Sunday.

That may be misplaced. The question facing unionists and the new monarch, King Charles III, is whether the deep affection for his mother translates into support for him and for the institution.

Recent polling suggests it may not. In 2021, the thinktank British Futures found that only 45% of Scottish voters wanted to keep the monarch, versus 60% at UK level, while 36% of Scots said the end of the Queen’s reign would be the right moment to establish a republic – a figure nearly replicated by a Panelbase poll...

[JimC]

The People's Republic of Scotland...

[laklak]

Mrs. Lak's dad called the day she died. He was choking back tears. WTF?

[Svartalf]

If he lives in britain and will have to suffer jug ears for a king for however long he'll last, he just might have reasons to be crying.

[Brian Peacock]

Civil liberties groups criticise police over arrests of anti-monarchy protesters

Civil liberties campaigners and others have expressed alarm about the response of police to anti-monarchy protesters after a number of incidents, the latest of which included the arrest of a man in Edinburgh for apparently heckling Prince Andrew.

The advocacy group Liberty said that new powers recently given to the police to curtail protest, and how they were being enforced by officers, were a cause for deep concern.

The Labour MP Zarah Sultana said in response to incidents in Edinburgh, London and Oxford: “No one should be arrested for just expressing republican views. Extraordinary – and shocking – that this needs saying.”

Police Scotland said a 22-year-old man and a 52-year-old man had been arrested in connection with a breach of the peace on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh shortly before 3pm on Monday.

It came after police were seen pulling a man out of a crowd of people, some of whom appeared to push him, after he was seen shouting at the procession accompanying the Queen’s coffin as King Charles, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex marched behind the hearse.

Earlier, a woman was charged after being arrested by police in Edinburgh on Sunday as she staged a protest during the accession proclamation for the King. Police said the woman, 22, had been arrested on Sunday outside St Giles’ Cathedral in connection with a breach of the peace and would appear at Edinburgh sheriff court at a later date.

The woman, who had been seen holding a sign that said “Fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy”, was arrested moments before the reading of the proclamation. The incident took place outside the cathedral, where the Queen’s coffin lay on Monday...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... death-king

The guy on the Royal Mile heckled Prince Andrew: "Andrew, you're a sick old man!"

[Brian Peacock]

King Charles’s staff given redundancy notice during church service for Queen.

[Brian Peacock]

Marks of respect on the death of her Maj.

Supermarket chain Morrisons’ has turned down the volume of its beeps, the Bank of England has delayed its interest rate decision; Norwich City Council closed two bike racks; Center Parcs U-turned on a decision to evict holidaymakers on the day of the funeral; and Hammersmith and Fulham postponed a car-free day.

At the other end of the scale, TalkSport pundit Trevor Sinclair was suspended for asking why black and brown people should mourn the Queen, and Novara Media writer Ash Sarkar was one of a number of social media users to report an increase in racist abuse. Some other funerals have been postponed, and thousands of hospital appointments have been cancelled.


-- Guardian daily newsletter

[L'Emmerdeur]

Despite then new king's lack of popularity (certainly in contrast to his mother) apparently the British mostly support carrying on with the monarchy. I don't blame them--in the British system the head of state is a figurehead, and while Charles is 'upper class twit' personified, they could easily do worse, and probably would.

'Coronation: How popular is the monarchy under King Charles?'

The monarchy is at a time of transition. The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II had significant family turmoil, but was largely a period of stability and continuity for the monarchy. There is now a new king.

But is public opinion about the monarchy changing too? Recent visits by King Charles have seen anti-monarchy protesters making their presence noisily felt, alongside those showing support for the new reign.

Those anti-monarchists have acknowledged that they would have been reluctant to carry out such protests when the late queen was alive, because of the risk of antagonising the public. But now it seems the gloves are off.

To gauge the public mood ahead of the coronation, Panorama commissioned a new YouGov opinion poll. The results suggest broad support for keeping the monarchy, with 58% preferring it to an elected head of state - which was supported by 26%.

But, below these headline figures the poll points to attitude shifts under way - with some clear popularity challenges for the new king at the start of his reign.

In particular, the monarchy seems to have a problem appealing to young people.

While over-65s were the most likely to be supportive of the monarchy at 78%, 18-24 year olds were the least likely. Only 32% backed the monarchy. This younger group was more likely, at 38%, to prefer an elected head of state, although the remaining 30% didn't know.