Can King Charles stop the Republicanism shift?

The announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II was not entirely unexpected. After all, at the bountiful age of 96, she had been a monarch who reigned for more decades than even my mother has been alive. After being atop the British throne for 70 years, Elizabeth had been the familiar face of monarchy across the globe for as long as I’ve been conscious of royalty.

Many of us can still recall those snow-white curls, ever-present vibrant coloured jackets and black handbag – held just so – whose contents remain a mystery to a commoner like myself.

The mother, daughter and granddaughter in me recognise the personal loss for the Queen’s extended family. I acknowledge the millions who mourn her and what she represented to them: longevity and service.

This transitional period marks a moment to reflect and to ponder the very future of the institution the Queen helmed; especially as it relates to its former colonies.

Jamaica is one of over a dozen countries for which Queen Elizabeth was their head of state at the time of her passing. It is fully expected that the new king will seamlessly assume those responsibilities.

In fact, one of Charles’ first duties after being publicly proclaimed as the new king (and keeper of the faith) was to meet the head of the body that represents the 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth and make his pitch for a continuation of the status quo.

There will be a lot more of these diplomatic manoeuvrings as the passing of the Queen represents the shifting of the political tectonic plates. What was perhaps not necessarily polite or appropriate to mention to an ageing monarch held in such esteem by a section her subjects, now seems like fair game now that the Royal baton has been passed.

One such matter would be the growing Republican shift by former colonies, including Jamaica. After watching Barbados take the step to becoming a republic (and frankly seeing that the sky did not fall in) Jamaica has started the political process to bring the question of a future under the British crown to the Jamaican people. This is, of course, no guarantee that the answer will be ‘yes’ but it’s more important than ever to be able to give a sovereign nation the opportunity to decide its future political destiny.

The recent trip to the Caribbean by members of the royal family showed that outwardly, in any case, the sense of deference and perhaps affection is not at the same level it once was. This revaluation of relationships with the monarchy will become even more pronounced as I don’t think anyone is surprised that the new king is not as popular as his late mother. Could a fresh, modern King William reverse the tide?

Perhaps hypothetical questions about who would be a better or more popular king are not important. At the crux of any conversation about breaking away from the monarchy is the distinction that the person helming the institution could be Mother Teresa herself, it matters not. The question of what this institution represents for so many is an entirely separate issue.

For these conversations to have meaning, we have to ponder the place of monarchy in the 21st century.

In the midst of the rows and rows of condolence flowers being laid, the pomp and ceremony displaying a side of British tradition that has not been seen since the passing of George IV, one image stood out sharply for me. It was a commemorative poster on a British bus stop of Queen Elizabeth showing an image of a monarch dripping in hundreds of millions worth of diamonds opposite a food bank – a place where hungry Brits go for help to feed themselves.

This is just one of the anachronisms that troubles many across the globe; not just republicans. Can the era of those born to rule, those who exhibit the spoils of their ‘station’ with jewels and castles and land not earned – but simply handed down by right now truly continue to coexist in a global society beset by so many other issues?

The Queen is dead. Long live the King. And I do mean that. I wish the new monarch, King Charles III, a long and healthy life. May he pass into the royal hereafter surrounded by family, in opulent surroundings, as did his ‘dear mama’. My desire to have Charles as Jamaica’s final monarch is a constitutional, political and ethical issue, not a personal one. Charles should be free to be a king. I just don’t want him to be MY king. Amina Taylor is a journalist and broadcaster. She is the former editor of Pride magazine and works as producer, presenter and correspondent with Press TV in London.