King Charles III Takes the Throne

Summary

Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: King Charles III Takes the Throne
Date: May 2, 2023
Host: Rebecca Mead (from London), with contributions from David Remnick
Format: Essay, reporting, and expert discussion

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the ascension of King Charles III following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Through storytelling, profiles, and a nuanced discussion, Rebecca Mead and her guests explore Charles’s personal challenges, public reputation, and the cultural resonance of the British monarchy in the modern era. The episode weaves in historical insights, public sentiment, recent royal controversies, and questions about the monarchy’s relevance in 2023.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charles’s Transition and Public Address

• Reflections on Ascension (00:17 - 00:48):
  The episode opens with narration describing Charles’s first public address as king, marked by visible emotion and a historical callback to his childhood at his mother's coronation.

  "Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived, a promise with destiny kept that promise of lifelong service. I renew to you all today."
  — King Charles III (00:48)

2. Public Sentiment in London

• Coronation Hype (01:02 - 01:16):
  Rebecca Mead surveys London, questioning if "coronation mania" has begun. The response is muted, with only “one party” mentioned, possibly tongue-in-cheek.

  "I can't tell quite whether it's a serious party or a joke party."
  — Royal Correspondent (01:18)

3. The Burden of Monarchy and Charles’s Self-Image

• Entitlement and Isolation (01:19 - 02:40):
  The narrative explores Charles’s perception of his role as a “burden” and his affinity with marginalized groups like the sheep farmers in Cumbria.

  "Nobody knows what utter hell it is."
  — Charles, as quoted by his biographer (01:32)

  — This is lightly balanced with humor about Charles’s aristocratic origins and the tension between privilege and imposter syndrome.

  "If Charles checked his privilege, there would be nothing left of him. Just a crumpled pile of ermine and velvet and a faint whiff of eau sauvage."
  — Narrator (02:35)

4. Public Opinion of Charles

• Popularity and Perception (02:40 - 03:48):
  Charles’s public image fluctuated—impacted heavily by his marriage and divorce with Diana. His approval ratings doubled after Queen Elizabeth’s death, suggesting public deference to the monarchy despite personal misgivings.

  "The position brings with it a kind of gravitas and respect that many Britons just accept and defer to."
  — Royal Correspondent (03:27)

5. Relevance of Monarchy in 2023

• Historical & Political Context (03:48 - 05:30):
  The episode revisits Britain’s brief period as a republic and explores reasons for retaining the monarchy. There’s a compare-and-contrast with political systems like the U.S.—the monarchy offers a figure “above politics,” but even that, as the hosts note, doesn’t guarantee dignity or effectiveness.

  "You can have a head of state who's not an elected buffoon. Of course, you could also have a head of state who's a hereditary buffoon."
  — Royal Correspondent (05:05)

6. The Personality of King Charles III

• Temperament and Quirks (05:30 - 06:13):
  Recent public displays of irritation (notably, his frustration with malfunctioning pens) are highlighted as classic Charles moments. His lifelong feeling that “the world is against him—even inanimate objects” is discussed as a central personality trait.

  "I can't bear this bloody thing... What they do every stinking time."
  — King Charles III, during a ceremonial mishap (05:52)
  "That is absolutely central to his personality."
  — Royal Correspondent (06:13)

7. The Harry and Meghan Factor

• Royal Family Scandal and Estrangement (06:19 - 08:01):
  The episode dives into the ongoing impact of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s public estrangement, their interviews, and current standing within the royal structure. Meghan’s planned absence from the coronation (ostensibly to be with Archie on his birthday) is interpreted as strategic and mutually beneficial.

  "I just think it's like there's some genius event planning going on there."
  — Royal Correspondent (07:41)

8. Sympathizing with Charles as a Person

• The Human Cost of Monarchy (08:01 - 09:30):
  Rebecca Mead’s guest expresses sympathy for Charles, labeling him “a decent man” and even “a bit of a weirdo” in a “loving” sense—particularly for his spiritual and ecological interests, as evidenced in his book Harmony. The argument is made that abolishing the monarchy might be most justified as a liberation for its members.

  "The strongest argument for its abolition is that it is a violation of the human rights of the individuals in the royal family to have to endure what they do have to endure... It really should be for their sake at least as much as for ours."
  — Royal Correspondent (08:47)

  "So your slogan would be free the king."
  — Rebecca Mead (09:19)

  "Totally free the lot of them. Yeah."
  — Royal Correspondent (09:22)

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Standout Quotes & Moments

• "Nobody knows what utter hell it is." (01:32)
• "If Charles checked his privilege, there would be nothing left of him. Just a crumpled pile of ermine and velvet and a faint whiff of eau sauvage." (02:35)
• "You could also have a head of state who's a hereditary buffoon, which we could have had easily here if Charles had fallen off his polo pony at the age of 29 and we'd now be facing King Andrew I, God save us all." (05:16)
• "The strongest argument for its abolition is that it is a violation of the human rights of the individuals in the royal family to have to endure what they do have to endure." (08:47)
• "So your slogan would be free the king." / "Totally free the lot of them. Yeah." (09:19-09:22)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:17: First reflections on Charles’s ascension and televised address
• 01:02: Street-level reaction to the coming coronation in London
• 01:32: Exploration of Charles's sense of burden as monarch
• 02:40: Discussion on the dilemma of Charles’s public profile vs. Elizabeth’s
• 03:48: Debate over why monarchy persists in Britain
• 05:30: Commentary on Charles’s temperament and his “pen incidents”
• 06:19: Analysis of Harry, Meghan, and their influence on the royal family
• 08:01: Expressing sympathy for Charles and the argument to "free the king"

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Tone and Style

The episode is laced with dry British wit, subtle irony, and empathy—both for Charles as an individual and for the complexities of the royal system. It maintains a balance between serious political insight and wry, personable commentary.

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Conclusion

This episode provides a sharp, nuanced, and surprisingly affectionate portrait of King Charles III, reflecting on his flawed humanity, his public role, and the peculiar burden of monarchy. Commentary also raises larger questions about the relevance, dignity, and ethics of hereditary rule in the 21st century, all delivered with informed skepticism and humor. Listeners come away with both a richer sense of Charles’s character and a contemporary understanding of the British royalty’s position in public life.

Transcript

[David Remnick]

This is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co production of WNYC Studios and the New Yorker.

[Rebecca Mead]

This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. This is Rebecca Mead and this is London.

[Narrator/Reader]

After Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96, King Charles III delivered a televised speech, his first public address as monarch.

[King Charles III]

I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow.

[Narrator/Reader]

His eyes were roomy and his complexion florid. His hair, thoroughly silver, was brushed as carefully as it had been in 1953 when as a fidgety four year old he had endured his mother's almost three hour long coronation service in Westminster Abbey.

[King Charles III]

Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived, a promise with destiny kept that promise of lifelong service. I renew to you all today.

[Rebecca Mead]

Rebecca, has coronation mania begun on the streets of London?

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

I don't really think it has. I mean, not as far as I've seen. Now let me just disappoint.

[Narrator/Reader]

I've been invited to one party.

[Rebecca Mead]

Okay, that's a start.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

I can't tell quite whether it's a.

[Narrator/Reader]

Serious party or a joke party. Charles has long made it clear that he considers his birthright a burden.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Nobody knows what utter hell it is.

[Narrator/Reader]

To be the Prince of Wales, he has reportedly complained. Although he is literally the most entitled.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Man in the land. A royal can feel like an anachronism.

[Narrator/Reader]

And he apparently feels a kinship with certain other Britons who are marginalized. Paddy Harverson, the Prince's former communications secretary, says that Charles has a particular fondness for the sheep farmers of remote Cumbria because they are most forgotten community you can find. Tom Parker Bowles, Charles's godson and later.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

His stepson, grew up thinking that Charles's name was sir, because that's all anyone ever called him.

[Narrator/Reader]

Yet sir suffers from a peculiar aristocratic version of imposter syndrome. He is wise enough to know that in almost any room he enters, other than one occupied by members of his family, he is likely to be the only person present who whose power and influence derive entirely from his birth. Indeed, if Charles checked his privilege, there would be nothing left of him. Just a crumpled pile of ermine and velvet and a faint whiff of eau sauvage.

[Rebecca Mead]

Elizabeth became queen when she was so young, before really she had a chance to have a public profile or opinions of any kind. Charles has a long record, so it's hard for him to conceal himself. Are people bored with him? Are they eager to see him king? What's the level of the degree to which people even care about what's about to happen?

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

It's really funny I mean, he's a person who has not been popular on and off.

[Narrator/Reader]

The whole marriage with Diana and the.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Divorce and all of that didn't do his ratings very much good. And there have been opinion polls asking whether people thought he would be a good king or not. And there was kind of lukewarmer and maybe not so great, minute the Queen died or, you know, the week that the Queen died, polls were taken again. How good a. How good a king will Charles be? And his favourables doubled? Which goes to show, I think, that the position brings with it a kind of gravitas and respect that many Britons just accept and defer to.

[Rebecca Mead]

Let's ask it a perennial American question, and maybe to some degree it's a British question. Why still have a king in 2023? Many countries either have gotten rid of the monarchy entirely or have reduced it to such a point.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Yeah, well, I think maybe part of it is that Britain did try to get rid of the monarchy at one point in the 17th century and indeed did get rid of the monarchy. And there were 11 years of Republican rule until the Houses of Parliament decided that they would rather have the monarchy back and Charles II came in and it's all been relatively stable since then. So, you know, we've been through that. We did try it and it didn't stick, let's say. People often say, well, yeah, but look what happens when you have a president in the United States, for example, you can get a Donald Trump at the head of the country. Isn't it better to have somebody who is above politics separated from politics? Of course, the answer to that is.

[Rebecca Mead]

That doesn't prevent you from having a buffoon. You had Boris Johnson, who's nobody's idea of dignity personified, that is true, but.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

He wasn't the head of state. So this is, I'm giving you, the pro monarchy argument here is that you can have a head of state who's not an elected buffoon. Of course, you could also have a head of state who's a hereditary buffoon, which we could have had easily here if Charles had fallen off his polo pony at the age of 29 and we'd now be facing King Andrew I, God save us all.

[Narrator/Reader]

Charles is more popular than he once was, in part because he was once so very unpopular. All the same, wearing the crown will not alter his fundamental character. When, in the days after the Queen's death, he took part in ceremonies establishing his kingship, he got into not one but two altercations with malfunctioning pens and his Irascible response the second time.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

I can't bear this bloody thing.

[Narrator/Reader]

What they do every stinking time was recognisable to anyone who has spent time observing him. As his biographer Catherine Mayer puts it, the world is against him. Even inanimate objects are against him.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

That is absolutely central to his personality.

[Rebecca Mead]

Rebecca Mead, reading from her essay on the new King Charles. Back in a moment. Now, you can't have a conversation about the royals without talking about, of course, Harry and Meghan Mark, what's been the net effect of their estrangement, their Oprah interview, the book, all of it, on this whole proceeding and on the royal family.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

They do not look good from this side of the ocean. I mean, there has to be an ongoing narrative. And right now the ongoing narrative is they turned their backs and they're off in California making loads of money. And that's not very dignified or cool.

[Rebecca Mead]

So, Harry, because, as you know, because I send you clips from it all the time, I read the Daily Mail constantly. Harry will be at the coronation. Meghan will not be at the coronation. Harry will be sat many rows behind the family. What do you make of all this?

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

I think it was a stroke of genius on the part of somebody in Buckingham palace to arrange for the coronation to be on the same day as.

[Narrator/Reader]

Harry and Meghan's oldest child's birthday, because.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

That gives them the perfect out. I mean, Meghan can stay home. She can stay with Archie, celebrate him turning four or whatever it is that he's turning. And Harry can come, but he doesn't have to stay. And I mean, you know, I just think it's like there's some genius event planning going on there.

[Rebecca Mead]

If I read your piece correctly, and you can correct me here if you want, you seem somewhat sympathetic toward Charles. You think he's gotten a bad rap?

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

I think Charles is probably a very decent man. I think that he's a bit of a weirdo. And I say that with the loving. I do say it with loving respect. I mean, I think it's a good thing he wrote this book called Harmony that brings together all of his interests and passions and shows the ways in which they're all connected in this kind of sacred architecture, the golden mean, all that kind of stuff. And it's kind of great.

[Narrator/Reader]

It's a little bit loopy.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

And it's also sort of fantastic that he wrote it and produced this sort of manifesto. I don't think enough people have read it. I am sympathetic towards him. I think my position on the monarchy, broadly speaking, is that the strongest argument for its abolition is that it is a violation of the human rights of the individuals in the royal family to have to endure what they do have to endure. And I think to the extent that we should, you know, get rid of the monarchy, abolish the monarchy, it really should be for their sake at least as much as for ours.

[Rebecca Mead]

So your slogan would be free the king.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Totally free the lot of them. Yeah.

[Rebecca Mead]

Rebecca Mead, our royals correspondent and much else, thank you so much.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Thank you, David.

[Rebecca Mead]

Rebecca Mead is a staff writer based in London. And the coronation of King Charles iii, do I really need to tell you is next weekend. So get up early. I'm David Remnick. That's the New Yorker Radio Hour for today. Thanks for joining us. See you next time.

[David Remnick]

The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co production of WNYC Studios and the New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbez of Tune Yards. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Turina Endowment Fund.

[Royal Correspondent/Expert]

Sam.