The UK government’s missive to its monarch on the eve of his departure must have been simple- “Mend it, if you can.”
Enough has been written about King Charles’s visit to the United States for the 250th anniversary celebrations of their Independence. Of all the events, his speech to the Joint Houses of the US Congress has been lauded as the high point of the trip.
The King’s visit came about at a very delicate point in history where the US is engaged in a high-profile war with Iran. UK has refused to come to the party, and DT has naturally been offended. He has not hesitated to let his ire out on Prime Minister Starmer which has threatened to put their long-standing relationship on the line.
The UK government’s missive to its monarch on the eve of his departure must have been simple- “Mend it, if you can”. Given DT’s unpredictable and often explosive nature, he also would have been cautioned, “For God’s sake, don’t let it deteriorate further.”
Gone are the real monarchies of yore. Ornamental they are today and the entire world realizes the limitations of the power they wield. Their soft power still exists, but only in their curiosity factor, something like that of a prized artefact in a museum.
A mysterious element of regal nostalgia in their presence has however still been kept alive by the media. People like to associate with them, presumably with a fond hope that some of the imaginary stardust would fall on them as well.
DT is one such person who affiliates with royalty with aspirational demeanour. The royalty does not threaten him at all because the royals are essentially toothless. However, mixing with them probably elevates his own self-worth at a sub-conscious level.
The UK Foreign Office in consultation with the palace scriptwriters played on these sensibilities while drafting Charles’s speech. Given the current fraying in the US-UK relationship, they had a very tightrope to walk. To be fair, they did a marvellous job and so did Charles in delivering the address.
He spoke like a refined statesman and with a great deal of diplomatic restraint. His speech, often accentuated with characteristic British humour, did not attempt to mock but to induce warmth in their bond. Surprisingly, he was not afraid to present some of his own views which were noticeably different to those of the chief host.
He spoke about environment conservation to the biggest culprits in this regard. He even dared to test the limits by mentioning the need for ‘checks and balances’ in exercise of power. Frankly, I loved that part as did the liberals in the audience.
NATO and Ukraine, the two critical national security concerns for the UK, came up as expected. He also understandably steered clear of Epstein and did not even once mention DT by name. Disappointing was the fact that no views on the havoc being caused by the US-Israel-Iran war and the suffering in Gaza were aired.
All in all, Charles and Camilla headed back to the UK extremely satisfied with a ‘mission achieved’ kind of smug smile on their faces. For Charles, the sort of honeymoon trip was kind of a personal victory.
Coming out of the shadow of his illustrious mother, Queen Elizabeth has not been easy for Charles. The longest serving heir-in-waiting to the throne has always appeared to be weighed down with expectancy to match his predecessors in conduct and performance.
The Royal family is a living embodiment of the British colonial days, a legacy they can never discard despite occasional expressions of liberal views. The unabashed exploitation of the colonies during the colonial era does not make them quite endearing to those who suffered. That is the unseen weight of the crown on their heads.
Besides that, the Royals including the present incumbents, have been involved in multiple scandals of a personal nature. The constant chatter from behind-the-back gossipers has taken the sheen away from their haloed divinity. They have not done themselves exactly proud on this front, although these transgressions are the easier ones to forgive.
Post the trip, one of the unforgettable images is of DT and Charles having a laugh in the precincts of the White House. So very different and yet so similar personalities.
Both having been born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Both having a Scottish connection and having to wait considerably for claiming their inheritance. Both often becoming the centre of media attraction for unflattering reasons. Of course, both never having experienced true hunger in their lives.
Temperamentally, both are poles apart, one restrained and the other all bluster. One representing a faded power and the other a fading one.
Both powers having met their virtual waterloo over the waves they ruled once upon a time. The former in the Suez and the latter in the not-too-far away, Hormuz. One trying to reminiscence about its heady days and another in denial of an inevitably similar fate one day.
For all the bonhomie on display, it would be anybody’s guess if it were to make any material difference on the ground. Soft power has failed on many occasions to reign in the transactional behaviour of the chief protagonist.
This time he was generous enough to announce repealing of tariffs on whisky coming from the UK barrels in honour of the state visit. Perhaps, the token concession had something to do with his mother’s Scottish roots and her love for the British Royal Family.
Getting the Royal couple across for the anniversary event was undoubtedly a fantastic idea for the Yanks. It is always good to spice up the celebrations with a touch of history of which they don’t have much to rave about.
For the Brits also, it served a purpose to momentarily revel in a doze of pseudo equivalence with a superpower whom they would like to believe is their descendant.
Through their ‘progenetic’ proximity to the US, they probably harbour a deep-rooted sentiment that the sun never set on the British empire. Only the face of it changed, as did its geographical epicentre across the Atlantic.
In this context, Charles concluding words at the end of the speech did not go unnoticed when he said, “God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.”
Perhaps it slipped his mind that during these extremely challenging times, the rest of the world also needs to be blessed.
Feeling blessed,
Horax (Casper)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Air Vice Marshal Rajeev Hora is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with over 3800 flying hours on multiple types of aircraft. His last appointment was as AOC HQ MAO at Mumbai. Previously held appointments are AOC Adv HQ WAC (Jaipur), Comdt Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Deputy Comdt AFA, AOC AFS Bidar and Deputy Technical Manager (Air) in the Acquisition Wing of MoD. He has earlier commanded a Jaguar squadron and was also the Team Leader of the IAF’s Hawk Aircraft Project Team in the UK.
