“Coronation of King Charles III Met with Opposition: Demonstrations Call for Abolishment of Monarchy”

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Berlin. Hundreds of them stood in the turmoil in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London. They were dressed in yellow and chanted “Not my king”. Instead of little Union Jack flags, they held up banners that read “Abolish the Monarchy”. In German: creates the Monarchy ab!

London police said on Saturday there had been 52 arrests during King Charles’ coronation celebrations. Among them was the head of the group “Republic”, Graham Smith. Security forces said it was their duty to stop any threat of disruption to the event. The organization Human Rights Watch sharply criticized the arrests: “Something like this is more likely to be expected in Moscow and not in London,” it said. There have also been isolated demonstrations elsewhere in the UK opponents of the monarchyfor example in Cardiff, Wales.

Given the solemn royal mood in the capital and the rest of the country, a few hundred Republican protesters might seem like a quirky fringe to the outside world. After all, Great Britain not only has its new one at the weekend König, but also celebrated himself. The way it is and has been in the past centuries: An exemplary democracy with a strong parliament and a king or queen as head of state. The television pictures that were now going around the world showed happy people and a proud nation.

Charles III: The monarchy is expensive – and increasingly unpopular

Nevertheless, the protests are a subtle reminder that Charles III. faces a daunting task: he must renew the bonds between the crown and the people. Approval for the monarchy is crumbling, and young people in particular are turning away. It is about the fundamental question of how up-to-date a hereditary monarchy is in the 21st century and whether taxpayers can easily be expected to finance the lavish lifestyle of a royal family.

A significant proportion of British believes that it would be better if the people could elect their head of state. Just like the neighbors in the Republic of Ireland do, for example, or those across the English Channel in France.

All of this is happening at a time when British society is already deeply divided and the country is in deep crisis after Brexit and the pandemic. Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, held the nation together as the Empire collapsed and Great Britain had to reinvent. The task of the new monarch will be to stabilize the monarchy as such. At the same time, he must help the country to overcome its largely self-inflicted crisis. Not even the continued existence of the United Kingdom itself is secure, as Scotland’s aspirations to independence show.

The opinion research institute YouGov, which regularly surveys the attitudes of the British to the monarchy, came a few days before the coronation to a remarkable finding: Six out of ten citizens still believe that the country should remain a monarchy. This is quite a high level of approval, but at the same time it is significantly lower than in the past. Ten years ago, 75 percent of those surveyed still supported the monarchy.

One in four Britons is now of the opinion that the head of state should be elected, meaning that the country needs a president, for example. The number of people who hold this view has been increasing for years. Looking at the individual age groups, it becomes clear that the commitment to Monarchy or the rejection of it is above all a question of generations. The older people are, the stronger their commitment to the crown. The younger they are, the greater the rejection.

Great Britain: Young people in particular are becoming increasingly alienated from the royal family

In the age group of people aged 65 and over, eight in ten Brits want to keep the monarchy. In the group of 18 to 24-year-olds, on the other hand, it is not even four out of ten. When asked whether the monarchy was good or bad for Britain, said just before the coronation 77 percent of older people say it’s good – but only 32 percent of younger people. Across all age groups, 58 percent of those surveyed said that the monarchy benefits the country, just a little more than every second person.

Also in another place Charles have to fight. Namely in relation to Britain’s role in the world. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, devoted much of her time and energy to keeping the Commonwealth together, Britain’s connection to her former colonies around the world. 56 sovereign states belong to the Commonwealth, in 15 of which the British king is head of state. After Elizabeth’s death, movements away from the Crown tended to increase. States like Australia and Jamaica are flirting with referendums on whether they should become republics. In the longer term, the British Monarchy are therefore becoming obsolete – at home and overseas.