Charles III is about to receive the crown of a disunited kingdom: the Scottish and Welsh leaders want to get rid of the monarchy, while in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein, in favor of reunification, is in the majority. And during the coronation, the Republicans promise to invite themselves to the party and to demonstrate.
"I consider myself first and foremost as a citizen, not a subject," Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf told The National newspaper in March during his campaign to lead the government.
And he promised an elected head of state within five years of Scotland's independence, even if this objective is moving away with the multiplication of the setbacks of his independence party, the SNP.
He will nevertheless be at the coronation, just like the Welsh Prime Minister, Mark Drakeford, also a convinced Republican. And like, and this is a first, the leader of Northern Irish Sinn Fein Michelle O'Neill.
Beyond, in the Commonwealth, the cracks threaten this vestige of the British empire which returns to Charles, sovereign who in addition to the United Kingdom, reigns over 14 countries.
The Australian government is preparing to get rid of the monarchy. Barbados has already done this.
In the United Kingdom, anti-monarchists want to seize the event to relaunch the debate on the crown, long overshadowed by the popularity and respect enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth II.
"It's a huge opportunity for us, I think we're going to make the most of it," said Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchist group Republic, which campaigns for the establishment of an elected head of state.
Republicans plan to demonstrate along the procession route, after a handful of them have already protested on several of the king's journeys to cries of "Not my king!" since Charles's accession to the throne following the death of his mother Elizabeth II on September 8.
A queen who was a "star" for the monarchy during her 70-year reign, acknowledges the Republic leader.
"The ground is much more fertile, people are much more eager to listen and get involved," says Graham Smith.
The Republican cause finds a more open ear in particular by the magnitude of the expenses incurred for the coronation when the British are hit hard by the worst crisis in the cost of living for decades.
The proportion of Britons for whom the monarchy is "very important" is just 29%, a record, according to figures from the National Center for Social Research (NatCen). A majority, however, defends the monarchy, but this support is falling particularly among young people.
"The challenge for the monarchy is going to be proving its relevance and attracting young people to retain that support," NatCen chief executive Guy Goodwin said.
Unlike in the 17th century, no bloodshed is to be expected this time around.
Charles I led England into civil war and was beheaded in 1649 not far from Westminster Abbey where his descendant will be crowned on May 6.
Charles II, he remained king of Scotland after the execution of his father before recovering the throne of England and Ireland after a republican interregnum. But the religious tensions that were one of the factors of the civil war remained strong. Charles II's Catholic brother was deposed in favor of Protestant heirs.
The monarchy is more stable these days, as Anna Whitelock, professor of the history of the monarchy at City University London, points out.
"But yes, it is a disunited kingdom in many ways. Clearly there is the possibility of starting a debate which was not taking place during the long reign of the queen," she told the AFP.
“Young people in particular are starting to question what the monarchy does, what it is worth, if it is accountable. There is a change, with the protests and the hashtag
The debate on the Republic will take time, according to the historian, for whom "there is no chance that this Charles will follow in the macabre footsteps of the first".
04/30/2023 11:18:21 - London (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
