Alongside the QEII death-anniversary articles, we’re also getting a lot of thinkpieces about King Charles’s first year as monarch. A few days ago, I read a really scathing piece by royal historian Clive Irving about how Charles is basically doing everything wrong, especially when it comes to money and democracy (you can read the piece here – I’m not covering it because it’s way too complicated). This one from the Telegraph is much more mild, it’s just a comparison piece between QEII’s first year as monarch and Charles’s first year as monarch. While Charles worked more than his mother in their respective first years, it’s also worth noting that Charles worked a lot more as Prince of Wales. And the new PoW is one of the laziest people out there, so… good for them.
The King has worked for more days in his first year as monarch than his mother did after her accession in 1952, new analysis has revealed. In his first 12 months as King, Charles has clocked up a total of 161 days during which he undertook official engagements, which is four more when compared with Elizabeth II’s total during her first year on the throne.
Since becoming King on Sept 8 last year, he has also travelled to all four nations of the UK and attended dozens of official functions. The late Queen almost matched Charles, having undertaken 157 days of engagements in her first 12 months on the throne, though she had a lighter workload and fewer visits to begin with.
However, the analysis from issues of the Court Circular, the official record of the Royal family’s daily activities, has shown that the King has not quite equalled the pace set by his grandfather. In comparison with Charles, George VI managed 183 days of engagements in his first year on the throne. The data also shows that while all three monarchs undertook common engagements, such as Royal Ascot and garden parties, there were also striking differences that reflect more modern times and attitudes. For example, George VI undertook far more meetings and audiences with Government ministers than his daughter and grandson, showing his close interest in affairs of state and politics. They outstrip him, however, when it comes to audiences held with prime ministers. The late Queen held 27 audiences with Winston Churchill in the 12 months after becoming the monarch in February 1952.
The Telegraph goes on and on with the comparing-and-contrasting, like QEII’s first year wasn’t 1952-53 and she was a 25-year-old mother being told what to do by a bunch of ancient Tories. It’s remarkable that she was able to travel as much as she did, given the logistics of national and international travel less than a decade after the end of WWII. Something which has surprised me about Charles’s first year is how little he has traveled, and his failure to prioritize traveling to his Commonwealth “realms” in the first year. That was originally part of Charles’s extensive plans for his first year as monarch – to travel to (at least) Canada, Australia, New Zealand and more. The man couldn’t even make it to France in his first year (because the Frenchies threatened him with the guillotine).
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
LUTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 06: King Charles III sits on the floor in the Prayer Hall during a visit to the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara on December 06, 2022 in Luton, England.,Image: 742743130, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
King Charles and Camilla leave Sandringham Church after Christmas Day service,Image: 746498356, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Malcolm Clarke / Avalon 
CAMBERLEY, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign’s parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on April 14, 2023 in Camberley, England. The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 Officer Cadets. It is the first time King Charles III has inspected Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst since becoming Monarch.,Image: 769448817, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Dan Kitwood / Avalon
London, UK, 03 May 2023: King Charles III and the Queen Consort stand on the steps during a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London, in celebration of the coronation on May 6.,Image: 773648596, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Yui Mok / Avalon 
Britain’s King Charles III reacts as he arrives in Covent Garden, central London, on May 17, 2023, during a visit with Britain’s Queen Camilla, their first joint engagement since the coronation.,Image: 776517624, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon 
King Charles III receives US President Joe Biden at Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK, 10 July 2023.,Image: 788312731, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ian Vogler / Avalon
Britain’s King Charles III and Britain’s Queen Camilla arrive by horse carriage for a visit of the Sandringham Flower Show, in Sandrigham, north west England, on July 26, 2023.,Image: 792063930, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon 
Britain’s King Charles III reacts during a visit of the Sandringham Flower Show, in Sandrigham, north west England, on July 26, 2023.,Image: 792073930, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / AvalonncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWtkZ394e8qipaCXk52us7jErJawp6KgsqWrkG9omJyRrsCgtc2Yq6Gdj5u2s7%2FTmLCemaKUvKerx6KqmKqVnrSvq8yoqZ6XpJ2ur6vQnqCiZw%3D%3D