Charles III - Britain's new King

  Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th 2022, after 70 years on the British throne. She has been succeeded by her eldest son Charles. The man who, until September 2022 was "Prince Charles" is now King Charles III

 8th September 2022. This text has been rewritten to take account of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  

Prince Charles - now King Charles - often accompanied or replaced the Queen on official duties, some formal, others less formal

Very few people alive in Britain today remember the time when Britain last had a king. Elizabeth II was Queen of England for 70 years, from 1952 to 2022, so only the very oldest people remember the last king, her father George VI.

    Queen Elizabeth has marked life and times in Britain for the past seven decades, and since her death, Britain has entered a new period of history. The Second Elizabethan age is over.
   For millions of people in Britain, and in other countries too, the death of the Queen has been like losing a  grandmother, since the Queen was part of national life, part of the national family, and a very popular figure. Opinion polls in 2020 showed that over 80% of people in Britain appreciated the Queen.
    There has been a moment of national trauma following her death; the Queen was not just "a royal", she was the Queen,  a person whose image people see every day, and will continue to see for some time, on coins, on banknotes, on stamps, in magazines, in public places.
 

King Charles III

 While Charles is not unpopular, he is less appreciated than his mother the Queen, and less popular than his son Prince William.  
  Charles was born in 1948,  and has spent his life in the shadow of the Queen. He has the image of a gentleman farmer, and is still actively involved in the agricultural life of his estates. Like his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was president of the WWF, Charles is very concerned about the environment and the natural world, and his farms are known for their organic produce. Indeed, Charles's farms became organic in 1985, 

King Charles III

William has now become the new Prince of Wales - the historic title of the heir to the throne

, long before the organic boom of recent years, and  "Duchy Organic", set up by Charles, is one of the biggest brands of organic foods in the UK, sold in the Waitrose supermarkets. Charles has also spent a lot of time trying to help underprivileged youth in Britain's inner cities. His "Prince's Trust" is a charity that has helped thousands of kids from poor parts of Britain's cities to get good training and good jobs. He has also been active on the world stage, and in 2020 he encouraged world leaders at the Davos summit "to reset capitalism", in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change. As a prince, he could say and do what he wanted; as Head of State, he will have to be more neutral.  That may be difficult for him.

    How long will Charles be king? Not as long as his mother, that is sure. He came to the throne at the age of 73, an age when most people are thinking more about retirement than taking up a big and important job. If he lives as long as his mother, he will remain king for over 20 years, longer than most heads of state..
   If he is a good king, then one day he will probably be succeeded by his elder son William. Few people  want Britain to become a republic. A poll in 2012 showed that 80% of people in Britain wanted the monarchy to continue, with only 13% wanting a republic. Perhaps this is understandable; in Britain, as in many other countries, politicians are not particularly popular these days! God save the King !

WORD GUIDE
poll: a study of what people think -  decade:  period of (about) ten years - trauma: shocked sadness - a royal*: a member of the Royal Family -  elder, eldest: older, oldest * -  legendary: mythical, invented -   heir: successor, person who comes next -  estate: domain, large farm - concerned: worried, anxious -   produce: things that are made or produced - set up: established, created - brands: commercial names - underprivileged: people who do not have much money or much opportunity -  prevent: stop - eventually: in the end, one day - remain: continue to be - carry out: do, perform .

* Vocabulary notes: elder, eldest. These are comparative and superlative forms of old. There is no such word as eld. Elder and eldest imply relative age, not absolute oldness, and are only used of people. So a two-year-old could be an elder child.
A royal.  The adjective royal has been used as a noun in popular English since the late 20th century. It is very common in the media, since the alternative, a member of the Royal Family, is rather long.

2. Verb forms and tenses

Put the verbs into the correct tense or form, using the prompts given in brackets.
In some cases you will need to add an auxiliary (helper) verb and /or a modal verb. In some cases there may be a choice of answer, specially where modal verbs are used.

Charles (also spend)  a lot of time (try)    to help underprivileged youth in Britain's inner cities. His "Prince's Trust" is a charity that (help)  thousands of kids from poor parts of Britain's cities (get)    good training and good jobs. He (also be)   active on the world stage, and in 2020 he (encourage)    world leaders at the Davos summit (reset)  " capitalism", in order (prevent)   the worst effects of climate change. As a prince, he (say)   and do what he (want)  ; as Head of State, he (be)    more neutral.  That (be)   difficult for him.
    How long (Charles be)   king? Not as long as his mother, that is sure. He (come)   to the throne at the age of 73, an age when most people (think)   more about retirement than (take)   up a big and important job. If he (live)   as long as his mother, he (remain)   king for over 20 years, longer than most heads of state..