In response to ongoing tensions with US President Trump, who has repeatedly called for the country to be referred to as the “51st state,” King Charles III’s recent speech during the opening of the Canadian parliament has caused something of a stir.
King Charles officially opened the Canadian parliament in what was his first visit to the country since becoming British monarch.
Those assembled applauded when Charles quoted the national anthem towards the end of his speech from a throne, saying that “The true north is strong and free”, in what was widely viewed to be a reference to the ongoing turmoil with US President Trump
President Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to be incorporated within the US as the “51st state.” This suggestion has been met with fury in Canada, with PM Mark Carney saying his country is “never ever” going to be for sale during a meeting with Trump in Washington.
The speech, written by the Canadian cabinet, is traditionally given by the governor general. A monarch has given the address three times in the parliament since Charles’s appearance. Given the ongoing international disputes with Canada’s neighbor, its emphasis on trading and sovereignty comes as no surprise.
As monarch, King Charles is constitutionally bound to remain politically neutral, so it is important to remember that much like the King’s Speech at the opening of parliament in the UK, the contents of these speeches are primarily dictated by the government of the day, not Charles himself.
However, for a long time, there were concerns raised by some that Charles would be too political when the time came for him to take the thone, given that, during his lengthy tenure as Prince of Wales – he was the person to hold the title of heir-in-waiting longest in British history – he did have a tendency to speak his mind.
Charles addressed these concerns in 2018, telling the BBC in an interview marking his 70th birthday that he is “not that stupid” and understood that once he was sovereign, he would have to be far more mindful about expressing his opinions.
There is only one sovereign in a room at once, according to the article. Not two”, Charles said at the time, adding that the heir had a “different function” to that of the monarch. “I’m undoubtedly going to be unable to carry out the same actions as the heir.” You must adhere to the constitutional guidelines, of course. But it’s a different function. People may have forgotten how distinct the two are from one another.
During her long reign, the late Queen Elizabeth rarely made a mistake in this regard, and even today, the public is still unsure of her private and political beliefs. This perhaps made Charles’s interventions stand out more sharply, in comparison to the perfectly maintained mask his late mother wore.
Since taking the throne, Charles has undoubtedly reduced his activism and willingness to express his personal opinions, but some of his most recent victories have been seen as almost exceeding his constitutionally neutral limits.
Ukraine war
Charles has not shied away from expressing his support for Ukraine in the ongoing war, despite the fact that the UK is not officially in direct conflict with Russia. This makes these comments somewhat unusual for a monarch.
During an address at the Bundestag – the German parliament – he referred to the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” adding that “freedom and human dignity have been trampled in the most brutal way. The security of Europe has been threatened, together with our democratic values. The world has watched in horror, but we have not stood by.”
He also spoke in powerful language about the one-year anniversary of the conflict, praising Ukraine’s “remarkable courage and resilience” and blaming Russia’s “unprovoked full-scale attack” – but this was a far cry from the language the late Queen used on Ukraine’s Independence Day in August 2022.
The late Queen addressed Zelensky with her “warmest greetings” to the leader and nation while softly referring to a “most challenging year” and her hope for “better times in the future.”
Back in 2014, when Charles was still Prince of Wales, he is reported to have said in a private conversation with a Jewish survivor of World War Two that Putin’s annexation of Crimea was “Just about the same as Hitler” – remarks that were called “unacceptable” by the Kremlin.
Meeting with Ursula von der Leyen
King Charles received some severe criticism for meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, as negotiations for the Northern Ireland Protocol in the post-Brexit deal were about to wrap up in February 2023.
It was seen as inappropriate by experts, politicians, and commentators alike that Charles met with von der Leyen before the deal was finalised, with former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt saying the “King has abandoned his unifying role and entered the political fray”.
Due to the controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, a constitutional expert, Craig Prescott from Bangor University, claimed the move was “unwise” despite appearing superficially unimportant.
Jacob Rees-Mogg MP told GB News, “The sovereign should only be involved when things are completed and accepted,” and Labour MP Christ Bryant said it was a “terrible mistake.”
At the time, Buckingham Palace said that the King met with von der Leyen after advice from the government. However, Downing Street tried to pass back responsibility for the meeting onto the monarch, with a spokesperson for former PM Rishi Sunak saying it was “fundamentally” Charles’s choice to do so.
Cost of Living Crisis
Charles used his first annual Christmas address as monarch to reference the Cost of Living Crisis. He offered support to those across the country who are “finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm” and praised those doing voluntary community work to help out in times of “anxiety and hardship.”
Whilst it was carefully worded to remain focused on the charitable aspects of the crisis, the cost of living issues faced across the UK are inextricably linked to political policy, causing the New Statesman to point out Charles was “once again…picking a side” and noting that “Ministers would hardly have been overjoyed at the subject playing a starring role in the King’s speech”.
Political prince known as “meddling”
Charles received the most negative comments for entering the political world during his time as Prince of Wales.
He is reported to have found then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Rwanda deportation plan “appalling,” which is said to have caused consternation in the Conservative leadership.
He wrote a series of letters to the government – known as the ‘black spider memos’ because of his handwriting – across a variety of subjects from the accessibility of herbal medicines on the NHS to the Iraq War.
The Guardian accused him of being “dogged” in his lobbying of government ministers, a practice that the then-heir to the throne rebuffed.
Charles is known to have been a fervent environmentalist long before the climate crisis became part of the public consciousness. Since becoming king, he has spoken about this issue less frequently and openly than he has in recent years, though he has been proven wrong for his actions. However, as society has regressed, he has since gotten better at it.
Source: Mirror
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