There’s been a distinct downgrade at Buckingham Palace with the ascent of King Charles III to the throne. Charles will be a good king, but not a great monarch like his mother. History tells us that it’s rare to have two in succession.
This isn’t the first time Charles has looked second-best in a comparison. In the 15 years he was married to Diana Spencer, his first wife—years in which he was, surely, the least uxorious man in Christendom—he came almost to be reviled by a public that was besotted with the princess. Her death in 1997 threatened to do more damage to the British monarchy than any event in the modern age, with delirious Britons accusing the queen of callousness—which is to say that she didn’t behave in the same unhinged way as those who rent their garb and wept outside the palace gates.
