[imagesource:wikimediacommons]

As the Kings’ Coronation 2.0 kicked off in Scotland in the first week of July, King Charles and Queen Camilla were struggling to command the same kind of attention as Kate Middleton (and Prince William).

Banks of Republican protesters were waving yellow ‘Not My King’ banners at the Scottish coronation in Edinburgh, with a report in the London Times patriotically trying to make the case that “the demonstrations seemed to become almost part of the occasion.”

Further attention was dragged away from the ageing king and queen as news headlines were more fascinated by that AI bot who egged on a deranged man armed with a crossbow and wearing a home-made Darth Vader Mask to break into Windsor Castle two years ago.

Back to Scotland, where Kate looked like a queen in the making:

‘While the Coronation focused on the crowning of the King and the Queen, this was a moment to project the future of the monarchy to Scotland. The Waleses shared centre stage and this was very deliberate.’ 🗣️🗣️🗣️ https://t.co/h1ei5QNds9

— Verdad (@marinaverdadera) July 6, 2023

The Daily Beast notes that it has become clear where the focus is, and is not, suggesting further that Charles and Camilla are “just marking time for Queen Kate”:

In contrast to the two wealthy senior citizens who looked like they might be happier on a world cruise than dressed up in absurd and anachronistic “Order of the Thistle” uniforms at St Giles’ Cathedral, Kate Middleton, sitting next to them wearing a chic electric-blue coatdress by Catherine Walker paired with a gorgeous Philip Treacy hat, looked like she increasingly does these days—the one senior royal who actually understands that the world has changed in the past 500 years.

William, although bedecked in ludicrous ostrich feathers and medieval bling, at least managed to smile in contrast to his father, who again spent much of the ceremony showcasing his bewildered ‘big baby’ resting face.

We laugh, but affection for the British monarchy is set to dwindle so long as Charles and Camilla have their bottoms on the throne.

King Charles III’s most recent net favorability is at a sad 32% and Queen Camilla’s most recent net favorability at a sadder 4%, while his mother’s rating, a deathbed net favorability, is at a solid 70%.

There is a not-so secret hope among many royal loyalists that Charles will abdicate on or around his 80th birthday, handing the controls to William and Kate while they are young enough to make a difference. The nightmare for the institution is that he chugs along into his 100s (his father lived to 99) refusing to hand over power until death, while the great balloon of monarchy slowly deflates, leaking credibility and influence as it sinks to earth.

Kate (and William) can only wait, but that doesn’t mean she’s not making slight strategic moves in the meantime.

This was expressed rather amusingly by a genteel showdown at Chelsea Flower Show in June when Kate turned up unannounced on the same day Charles was there. Crucially, she arrived about 90 minutes after him, thereby blowing him off global news feeds.

Pointedly, a friend of Kate’s told The Daily Beast at the time of the incident: “William and Kate are now very senior figures as the coronation made clear. Charles wouldn’t have needed the queen’s permission to attend the Chelsea Flower Show, and Kate doesn’t need Charles’ permission to go to the Chelsea Flower Show.”

Kate has also now claimed Wimbledon as her territory, making all the front pages again as she chatted closely with Roger Federer in the Royal Box on Tuesday:

Kate, the Princess of Wales, took her friendship with tennis legend Roger Federer off the court for day two of Wimbledon. https://t.co/WsEaTaX93y

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 4, 2023

Most fascinatingly, London Times’ royal correspondent, Valentine Low, in a newly added chapter to the paperback version of his book Courtiers, cited a source as saying of Kate:

“She does not get as much credit as she should, because she is so subtle about it. She is playing the long game. She has always got her eye on, ‘This is my life and my historic path and I am going to be the queen one day.’”

Low also spoke of her “steeliness”, and in fact, steeliness is a trait remarked upon frequently when discussing the Princess of Wales.

Anna Pasternak wrote in a Tatler profile that Kate has a “spine of steel”, while other sources remarked on her “ruthless survival streak,” to Pasternak. A family friend also spoke of the “Level of control she has to retain. I don’t think she’d know how to fully let her guard down now, even if she wanted to.”

Charles may only realise it now, but it has become increasingly clear that he is “just a place-filler between the twin stars of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Kate”.

[source:dailybeast]