A Panegyric for Charles the Peacemaker

TL:DNR – King Charles III might not be able to save us from total war, but at the very least he can buy us more time.

As the saying goes, history does not repeat but it often rhymes.?The dawn of the Carolingian era brings with it a turn away from maternalistic governing towards a potentially more activist Monarchy.? With two more generations of Kings currently in queue, it will undoubtedly be some shade of masculine.?The parallels to the passing of Queen Victoria are many: a long female reign, the end of relative stability and a world that people said could not possibly go to war with itself because of both strong global economic interlinkages and military deterrence programmes.?The coronation of Bertie in 1901 brought many uncertainties, but his short reign was unquestionably successful in its activism.? Repairing relations with France, strengthening the Royal Navy and recognizing that Cousin Willy was going bonkers all gave the UK the footing it needed to weather the Great War.? It is widely speculated that our King molds his own self-image on King Edward VII (the upcoming Coronation Date is May 6th, the same day Bertie died).? We should prepare ourselves for a similarly energetic Working Royalty.? The challenges facing King Charles III loom large from both a family and Institutional perspective, but a unique opportunity to shore up confidence in the Firm is currently presenting itself.

The United Kingdom, if you have not noticed, is having a rough go of it right now.?So much of the country is on strike that the BBC felt it helpful to create a calendar.?Furthermore, the Irish Question still stymies any hopes of a rational end to the Brexit saga.?The Crown is not in any position to provide direct relief to the British people nor to the Government, but it is at times like these when trust in the Monarchy itself is most helpful in steadying the ship.? I have myself witnessed a Monarchy rescue a financial system from ruin.?There do exist institutions that are important for the sake of being important.?The job of convincing one’s subjects of that truth is never done, and after a very long reign of detached observation perhaps some vibrancy is called for.?The Crown needs a win.?

In the multicultural Commonwealth to-day, domestic politics and family values are troubled waters for anyone to wade into.? Like Bertie before him, it is on the international stage where the ripest fruits of legacy are hanging in wait.? The King is uniquely well suited to address them, and it is the religious elements of the role that provide the advantage.

It is said that High Anglicanism is virtually indistinguishable from Roman Catholicism in practice and theology.? As an aside, it does strike one as odd, then, that there would have been so much fretting over the Prince of Whales' personal life; the end of King Henry VIII’s marriage to Catharine of Aragorn is the one reason why Anglicanism exists in the first place!? Yes, obviously it is way more complicated than that, and Re-Catholicization has not been a serious topic of discussion in the United Kingdom since the Battle of the Boyne.? It is unlikely that the Church of England will become an autonomous Prelature of Rome, yet for a King who has repeatedly encouraged a more inclusive representation of Faith, the question of faith has been an important one to ask.

To summarize: the King takes his role as Defender of All Faiths seriously, but no one yet knows what that will look like.? He is likely to be energetic in his rule, but his most vocal causes are now mainstream.? The Country could benefit from unity during troubled times, but the Monarchy is facing a crisis of confidence without and within.? There is one solution for all of these problems, and it lies in the Ukraine.

There is only one thing that death is: bad.?When one loses the ability to talk to each other, the universe of possible outcomes starts to narrow considerably.? Put differently, if we are truly done trying to seek diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine crisis, then more death is assured.? The New Eastern Bloc is fortifying itself against the West without limits, dashing hopes for regional solutions.? The King is perhaps the only stakeholder left who can provide a platform for a diplomatic solution.? Doing so would be a great victory over death; it would also cement both a legacy and the value of the Monarchy for another generation.

Ecumenical Christianity itself is one of the last remaining common grounds of communication between Russia and the West.?President Zelensky seems happy to engage with Christianity in advocating for Rome’s mediation and visiting churches with Catholic leaders.? President Putin, though not thus far moved by such efforts, has had a consistently strong relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.?This is by the way, becoming an important channel to watch in a potential source of casus belli to expand Russia’s war economy. Should President Zelensky abolish the Russian Church, the conflict will become a holy war.? King Charles is positioned perfectly to navigate these waters.? He has already met with Zelensky.?He is the only Western Head of State who is also a national religious leader.? He simultaneously commands international credibility while being far enough removed from the Western security apparatus to be a truly neutral arbiter.? He is also linked to but is one step removed from the City of London, which despite all best efforts is still an important stakeholder with the Russian oligarchy.

Perhaps it is all the more necessary to act now, before the Coronation.? I do not know what a long-term peace would look like, but it is incumbent on us to try until we have exhausted all options.? A Royal intervention might help, but I struggle to see how it could hurt.? The King must ride East.