Speaker 1: William and Kate. By the time they give their turn,
Speaker 1: they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
Speaker 1: longevity of these royal family members, right the Queen mom
Speaker 1: died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
Speaker 1: so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2: Welcome to one day University talks with the world's most
Speaker 2: engaging and inspiring professors discussing their most popular courses. This
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Speaker 2: rated lectures on your own schedule. I'm Stephen Tregis. We're
Speaker 2: traveling across the Pond to Great Britain, where King Charles
Speaker 2: the Third's coronation takes place this weekend. Although Charles became
Speaker 2: king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died last September, the
Speaker 2: coronation is an important symbolic ceremony steeped in royalty tradition.
Speaker 2: In fact, coronations for British monarchs have been around for
Speaker 2: over a thousand years. Professor Julietatio knows this history well.
Speaker 2: She has given lectures on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth
Speaker 2: and the monarchy's centuries of royal scandals. Julie is an
Speaker 2: author and a research professor of history at the University
Speaker 2: of Maryland. She says the British monarchy's power has evolved
Speaker 2: quite a bit over the centuries.
Speaker 1: If this were before sixteen eighty eight, the monarch would
Speaker 1: be considered divine. But after the sixteen eighty eight Glorious Revolution,
Speaker 1: with William and Mary agreeing to rule with the Bill
Speaker 1: of Rights, we see after that over the centuries pretty
Speaker 1: much the decline of all of those royal powers. The
Speaker 1: king or Queen will no longer be above the law.
Speaker 1: They're subject to the authority of Parliament. Today, Charles, like
Speaker 1: his mother, has the right to give the royal approval
Speaker 1: to legislation, doesn't initiate it or really have anything to
Speaker 1: do with making laws. It's mainly ceremonial. He's the head
Speaker 1: of state, how to the church, how to the military,
Speaker 1: had a state of the Commonwealth. But he has the
Speaker 1: right to be consulted, the right to advise the Prime Minister,
Speaker 1: and does play an important role with all the royal
Speaker 1: tours and hosting foreign visitors, and if you look at
Speaker 1: the Royal UK website, he is, like any monarch, is
Speaker 1: meant to be a source of national pride like the
Speaker 1: human face of government who unifies the nation. And that's
Speaker 1: no small role to play about.
Speaker 2: How many nations are there in the Commonwealth, and how
Speaker 2: has that changed since Queen Elizabeth's coronation and in recent years.
Speaker 1: So when the Queen first learned that she was Queen herself,
Speaker 1: the first speech that she made was about recognizing how
Speaker 1: the Imperial fold was growing up in changing, and so
Speaker 1: the Commonwealth, of course change in a response to the
Speaker 1: changing empire and the loss of certain colonies. That one
Speaker 1: had already happened before her reign in nineteen forty seven,
Speaker 1: obviously Indian independence, and then since nineteen forty seven through
Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties almost all of the former colonies had
Speaker 1: gained their independence. So this idea of a commonwealth of
Speaker 1: nations is relatively new. It's now fourteen nations. Since the
Speaker 1: time of her death. In twenty twenty one, Barbados stopped
Speaker 1: recognizing Elizabeth as head of state became a republic. Jamaica
Speaker 1: is considering doing the same, so the numbers may change
Speaker 1: moving forward. They have to officially recognize him. He doesn't
Speaker 1: automatically inherit that title. There was talk several days before
Speaker 1: the coronation that Canada may no longer recognize the British
Speaker 1: monarch as head of state. Australia just decided to not
Speaker 1: put Charles's image on their paper currency.
Speaker 2: They have an.
Speaker 1: Indigenous design instead. Going forward, we shall see.
Speaker 2: I've heard you lecture about Queen Elizabeth before she passed,
Speaker 2: and it's as you said, and all of us knew.
Speaker 2: She was beloved by many, many, many people. Charles is
Speaker 2: a very different character though. How popular or unpopular is he?
Speaker 1: Well, I do want to say, you know, she had
Speaker 1: moments of unpopularity as well, but there is a huge
Speaker 1: difference in their coronations. Britain had come out of those
Speaker 1: tough years of rebuilding after the war. By nineteen fifty three,
Speaker 1: rationing was finally over, and there was this feeling now
Speaker 1: that the nation was moving forward. It still had some
Speaker 1: of its empire, with the understanding it was going to change,
Speaker 1: and she was talking about the Imperial family and how
Speaker 1: she was going to represent everyone. There isn't this feeling
Speaker 1: of I think youthfulness of the nation in the post
Speaker 1: war period, and the last few years had been incredibly
Speaker 1: tough for the world and of course for Britain with
Speaker 1: Brexit dividing the name and then the pandemic. It is
Speaker 1: a different moment in time than nineteen fifty three, so
Speaker 1: I think that is a challenge for him. But if
Speaker 1: we think back to those days after his mother died,
Speaker 1: there was such an outpouring of affection for him that
Speaker 1: I have tomit. I was surprised as he walked about
Speaker 1: the crowds and women were hugging and kissing him, and
Speaker 1: he didn't seem to mind. So I think that he
Speaker 1: may do better than I predicted a few months ago.
Speaker 2: We'll see how it goes. But I've heard a few
Speaker 2: people say that somehow when his mother died seems like
Speaker 2: perception changed, and when he actually becomes king, let's see
Speaker 2: what happens. Then. You said, when you're referring to Charles,
Speaker 2: the crown will rest heavy on his shoulders. Is there
Speaker 2: some sentiment that, maybe, how can I put this, he's
Speaker 2: the wrong guy for the job, and what does that
Speaker 2: mean for the monarchy?
Speaker 1: Well, you know, he's been waiting his turn since he
Speaker 1: was four years old, so I know that there were
Speaker 1: some people before his mother died who said, oh, he's
Speaker 1: too old, he should just you know, allow his son
Speaker 1: to be king. That's not the way it happens. I mean,
Speaker 1: he's waited for his turn, and he's ready. And I
Speaker 1: think that in those last few years of her life,
Speaker 1: the Queen was really trying to smooth his transition, made
Speaker 1: things a little bit easier for him, and I think
Speaker 1: just the reception the tabloids have been largely favorable and
Speaker 1: the public has been more favorable to him recently. It's
Speaker 1: going to be difficult, obviously to fill those shoes in
Speaker 1: that Crown, and maybe it won't be as heavy as
Speaker 1: I once thought and more fair to him now.
Speaker 2: The show The Crown, I've seen it here in the
Speaker 2: United States. I've heard it's very very popular in England.
Speaker 2: Everybody watches it, and that Charles is not too happy
Speaker 2: with how he is portrayed in that show. Do you
Speaker 2: think it's actually impacted his popularity in Britain, especially among
Speaker 2: younger people who didn't know and didn't live through all
Speaker 2: the scandalous stuff that's in that show.
Speaker 1: From what I read, viewership in the UK of The
Speaker 1: Crown really escalated in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth the
Speaker 1: Second's death. I do think though, that you know, even
Speaker 1: though the royal family said they wanted a disclaimer, and
Speaker 1: even Judy Dench demanded it from Netflix, so that it's
Speaker 1: just historical fiction. I do think it was probably Charles
Speaker 1: who was feeling upset with the way he was portrayed
Speaker 1: in the previous season in the early years of his
Speaker 1: marriage with Diana. The last season I felt was more
Speaker 1: sympathetic towards Charles. And actually, if we take this series
Speaker 1: as a whole and we go back to the early
Speaker 1: years of Charles's life, it really shows that it's hard
Speaker 1: to say, oh, the poor prince, but his childhood wasn't
Speaker 1: always an easy one. His parents were largely absent for
Speaker 1: a lot of key moments in his life. He lived
Speaker 1: in the shadow of what we would call an alpha
Speaker 1: male father, and he was more sensitive from the moment
Speaker 1: of his birth when he was presented, you know, on
Speaker 1: display to the royal courtiers. He's always been public property.
Speaker 1: I think in some ways the public can feel for him,
Speaker 1: but there are certain things that many both British and
Speaker 1: American viewers are a little reluctant to forgive, and that
Speaker 1: of course is the debacle of his marriage to Diana.
Speaker 1: But his popularity had gone up after his mother died
Speaker 1: and in the months leading up to the coronation, So
Speaker 1: we'll see if he gets a boost in the polls
Speaker 1: after the coronation as well. But I do think the
Speaker 1: Crown has hurt and helped him in some ways.
Speaker 2: That's a fair enough answer. Now, my mother is not
Speaker 2: alive right now, but if she was, she would watch
Speaker 2: this coronation. But I know what she'd say. She'd say,
Speaker 2: I will never forgive him for Diana. And maybe she's
Speaker 2: not the only one who would say that. How does
Speaker 2: that factor it? You have thoughts on.
Speaker 1: That, Well, that's something I've said in the past. You know,
Speaker 1: I was a girl and I watched Diana get married
Speaker 1: and a grown woman when I watched her funeral, and
Speaker 1: those were tough moments, and I think a lot of women,
Speaker 1: British and American could relate to her when she told,
Speaker 1: you know, all of those stories about her life and
Speaker 1: her battles with mental illness and infidelity. We have to
Speaker 1: recall too, that the twenty fifth anniversary of her death
Speaker 1: was a little more than a week before the Queen's step.
Speaker 1: So I think back to her BBC interview right with
Speaker 1: Martin Bauscher when she said there were three of us
Speaker 1: in this marriage. There is that figure of Diana that
Speaker 1: will always loom over them.
Speaker 2: Julie. We had expected Camilla to have the title of
Speaker 2: Queen Consort, but on the invitation to the coronation they
Speaker 2: called her Queen Camilla. How big a deal is that.
Speaker 1: It's not as big a deal as I think some
Speaker 1: people are made of it when they saw the invitation.
Speaker 1: She is still the Queen Consort. That is really her
Speaker 1: official title. It's just very clunky to call someone Queen
Speaker 1: Consort Camilla, Queen Consort Mary So. Previous queen consorts have
Speaker 1: typically just been called Queen so and so. The fact
Speaker 1: is that as the Queen Consort, she'll never be sovereign
Speaker 1: in her own right. That's why it's significant that people
Speaker 1: understand means So he's the sovereign. He has all of
Speaker 1: the rights and powers that doesn't get passed on to her,
Speaker 1: even though she's getting crowned in the ceremony. So if
Speaker 1: he predeceases her, she's never queen in her own right
Speaker 1: to rule. It still goes to William. So. I think
Speaker 1: it was a couple of things. The public has slowly
Speaker 1: been prepared. First, she was going to be the prince's consort,
Speaker 1: then Elizabeth before her death said no, she's a queen
Speaker 1: consort because for some people they still held in their
Speaker 1: hearts Diana's memory that she should have been the queen consort.
Speaker 1: But now Charles really wants to prepare the public for
Speaker 1: her role and to make them accept her more. And
Speaker 1: I think that's one of the significant reasons for removing
Speaker 1: a consort from the invitation. But she is still queen consort.
Speaker 2: What do people think of Camilla when Diana was alive,
Speaker 2: that was a complicated situation, but let's skip to twenty
Speaker 2: twenty three. What's the perception of her now?
Speaker 1: Well, when they married in two thousand and five, people booed, right,
Speaker 1: But now his marriage to her has lasted longer than
Speaker 1: his marriage to Diana, So I think the public has
Speaker 1: largely gotten used to them. I don't know if their
Speaker 1: merchandise from their marriage sells as well as even still
Speaker 1: the Charles and Diana merchandise. She is less popular than Charles,
Speaker 1: who is less popular than his mother, but she's still
Speaker 1: more popular than Andrew, so that's a good thing. And
Speaker 1: I think, you know, the tabloids have been kind of
Speaker 1: working in her favor since the Queen's funeral and we
Speaker 1: have to remember events like funerals, weddings, births, coronations. It
Speaker 1: gives all the royals a boost and maybe temporary, but
Speaker 1: I think this is going to give her a boost
Speaker 1: as well.
Speaker 2: After the break. What to expect at the coronation and
Speaker 2: what the future holds for William and Kate. We're just
Speaker 2: a couple of days away from the coronation. Certainly not
Speaker 2: the first coronation in British history. But how will this
Speaker 2: coronation be different than any other before it?
Speaker 1: Well, he's the oldest monarch to be crowned. I think
Speaker 1: some things we're going to see will just be fairly standard, right,
Speaker 1: operation Golden Orb. He's going to be anointed with the
Speaker 1: Holy Oil. He'll get the orb, the coronation ring, the
Speaker 1: scepter will be blessed, He'll sit in Edward's chair. Those
Speaker 1: things are standard. A couple of things which maybe to
Speaker 1: us as Americans we don't think are a big deal,
Speaker 1: but I think are kind of significant because Charles has
Speaker 1: talked so much about streamlining things, trying to reduce costs.
Speaker 1: At the same time he wants his special day. So
Speaker 1: one thing that will observe is that the precession route
Speaker 1: on the way to the abbey is going to be shorter,
Speaker 1: and they'll also be in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
Speaker 1: That coach was built for Queen Elizabeth's sixtieth anniversary or
Speaker 1: Diamond Jubilee, and it has heat and air conditioning and
Speaker 1: it's a lot come fear than the Golden Coach. But
Speaker 1: he and Camilla will ride back in that gold coach
Speaker 1: on their way back to the palace so the crowds
Speaker 1: can see them, and I think everyone kind of expects
Speaker 1: that gold coach that was still relatively new, that's been
Speaker 1: used since the time of William the Fourth in eighteen
Speaker 1: thirty one. But Queen Elizabeth Second had said that at
Speaker 1: the time that she had to ride in it both ways.
Speaker 1: It's a horrible ride. It's so uncomfortable and bumpy, So
Speaker 1: I think it's for his comfort, but also to show
Speaker 1: we're streamlining things. The other thing is that the crown
Speaker 1: that Camilla will be wearing when she has crowned during
Speaker 1: the coronation. Typically there's a new Tierra design for all
Speaker 1: of these ceremonies. Instead, they're sort of recycling and reusing
Speaker 1: a crown that was Queen Consort Mary from nineteen eleven.
Speaker 1: It's got two thousand diamonds in it, so it's not
Speaker 1: a slouchy crown. But that does I think cut costs,
Speaker 1: and it looks like they're being mindful of certain things.
Speaker 1: So those, to me, those are actually significant because they're
Speaker 1: all embedded with very old traditions.
Speaker 2: The Queen's Jubilee not that long ago was very expensive,
Speaker 2: and now we have a coronation. Is there a feeling
Speaker 2: that maybe too much money is being spent on all
Speaker 2: this stuff?
Speaker 1: There's always that complaint. Made I think about the Queen's
Speaker 1: first Jubilee in nineteen seventy seven, and my daughter, who
Speaker 1: loves the sex Pistols, to think about their anthem of
Speaker 1: protest right of God save the Queen, because those were
Speaker 1: really tough years of recession, global recession, and what's the
Speaker 1: idea of spending money when people are suffering? Same thing
Speaker 1: when Charles and Diana got married had been a very
Speaker 1: bad winter, the Winter of Discontent, and so spending money
Speaker 1: on a fairy tale wedding. So whenever there's one of
Speaker 1: these events, that criticism is made, like money could be
Speaker 1: spent in a better way. And Charles was I think
Speaker 1: he heard some of that, but at the same time,
Speaker 1: he wants his day in the sun.
Speaker 2: Do we know if Harry and Megan will be at
Speaker 2: the coronation.
Speaker 1: So Harry will Meghan has said that she's staying behind.
Speaker 1: It's their child's birthday, and I think that's a good compromise.
Speaker 1: But I think that it'll some people who criticize her
Speaker 1: for not being there. But if she was there, she'd
Speaker 1: be criticized.
Speaker 2: What role will Prince William play in the coronation. There's
Speaker 2: going to be a focus on William. How's he going
Speaker 2: to be involved in all of this.
Speaker 1: I think we already saw, like immediately after the Queen died,
Speaker 1: that William and Kate were really taking a front and
Speaker 1: center role, getting more responsibilities. Even before that, they had
Speaker 1: done one of those royal tours and it didn't go
Speaker 1: so well when they were touring some Commonwealth countries who
Speaker 1: were kind of saying, we don't really want you anymore.
Speaker 1: So they're going to have to do their work too
Speaker 1: to convince Commonwealth nations through their royal tours to stay
Speaker 1: a part of the Commonwealth. We'll see if they'll succeed.
Speaker 1: They still give the youth and glamour to the royalty
Speaker 1: at forty they're still both very good looking, and the
Speaker 1: tabloids have been really working in Kate's favor as the
Speaker 1: good princess kind Kate, they double all of these nice things,
Speaker 1: even though they didn't love her so much in the beginning,
Speaker 1: but now she's the good princess. So I think as
Speaker 1: a royal couple, they're going to bring the youth and
Speaker 1: glamour that Charles and Camilla can't. But also Charles has
Speaker 1: had to step back from a lot of his favorite charities. Monarchs,
Speaker 1: you know, can't be outspoken about their overall views. William
Speaker 1: and Kate of course, can then take over some of
Speaker 1: those functions, and by the time they give their turn,
Speaker 1: they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
Speaker 1: longevity of these royal family members, right, the Queen mon
Speaker 1: died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
Speaker 1: so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2: Well, let me follow up on something you just said.
Speaker 2: He said a king can't really be outspoken in his views.
Speaker 1: Why not, He's already being reigned in. They have to
Speaker 1: be really politically neutral. They can't side with one party
Speaker 1: over the other. Now, there are ways, of course, in
Speaker 1: which they can kind of leak their views, thinking back
Speaker 1: to like the Thatcher years and that one of the
Speaker 1: newspapers supposedly leaked a story that the Queen was upset
Speaker 1: with the Conservatives, especially Thatcher, for her support of apartheid
Speaker 1: and also some of her social welfare policies which the
Speaker 1: Queen thought was too cruel. And then you know, during
Speaker 1: the Scottish referendum and Brexit, you know, the Royals kind
Speaker 1: of leaked their views about that they are not supposed
Speaker 1: to express their support for one political issue over another. Charles,
Speaker 1: as Prince, was definitely more outspoken, sometimes got himself in
Speaker 1: trouble over that. His big issue, of course, about climate change.
Speaker 1: It's a very political issue, as we know, but it's
Speaker 1: such an important one. So I'm hoping that that is
Speaker 1: the mantle that his son will take up advocating for
Speaker 1: policies in that regard. But Charles cant, now.
Speaker 2: Julie, let's get down to it. I'm an American, and
Speaker 2: I admit I have trouble understanding how a monarchy can
Speaker 2: even exist in a modern country like England. And I
Speaker 2: know there's some in Britain who agree with me. What
Speaker 2: are your feelings about that? Could the monarchy be past
Speaker 2: its prime? Will it ever go away?
Speaker 1: We've heard this so many times over the years. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think back to was at nineteen fifty seven when
Speaker 1: the scandal where the aristocrat journalist said the queen was
Speaker 1: too priggish and then he had to apologize. People attacked
Speaker 1: his home because how dare you insult the monarch? When
Speaker 1: Diana and Charles divorce, the monarchy was over. When Harry
Speaker 1: and Meghan gave the interview for OPRAH, people said the
Speaker 1: monarchy is over. People on both sides of the political spectrum,
Speaker 1: if a majority still poll at least the last one
Speaker 1: I saw, it's favoring a constitutional monarchy, not a republic
Speaker 1: like the US numbers. As I've said, for among younger people,
Speaker 1: there are more among younger people they do favor doing
Speaker 1: a way with the monarchy, but it's still not a majority.
Speaker 1: And I think that events like this, the royals get
Speaker 1: bumps from it. What we call a tonic to the nation.
Speaker 1: It brings people together. It's a source of national pride
Speaker 1: and Americans, you know, we watch shows like Downton Abbey
Speaker 1: and Bridgerton and the Crown and every news show in
Speaker 1: the morning always gives us, you know, tidbits about the royals.
Speaker 1: So Americans we pride ourselves on a republic and a democracy,
Speaker 1: but we love this stuff about aristocracy what we don't have.
Speaker 1: There's something kind of romantic about it. I don't think
Speaker 1: it's so romantic to many British people, and don't forget it.
Speaker 1: It's also divided for people. When the Queen died, there
Speaker 1: were people in Northern Ireland who were mourning her and
Speaker 1: there were others who were kind of not celebrating but
Speaker 1: not upset. So it's not uniform. You really got to
Speaker 1: break it down by region. I think as well age
Speaker 1: how people feel about the monarchy. I'm not predicting its
Speaker 1: end because people do that all the time and they're
Speaker 1: always wrong.
Speaker 2: Julie, thank you so much for doing this. I learned
Speaker 2: a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to
Speaker 2: do this because it's a big event. Thank you again.
Speaker 1: Thank you. I'm looking forward to watching it all.
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Speaker 2: and watch University of Maryland Professor Julie Tattio's lectures on
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Speaker 2: next time when we talk about America's role as the
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Speaker 3: On average, nine pounds of potatoes have to be available
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Speaker 3: to do its work, and so the pressures that it
Speaker 3: puts on the American agriculture system, the meat processing system
Speaker 3: is just shocking.
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