The tale of the troubled English monarchy
Once upon a time there was a kingdom: a fairytale title that could turn out to be a prophecy. Could the serious crisis currently facing the British royal house lead to the decline and perhaps even the end of a centuries-old institution? With impeccable timing, Natalia Augias, RAI's London correspondent, traces the history of the monarchy, focusing on some key moments and characters.
Making headlines is the arrest of former prince Andrew, still under investigation by the police for his dealings with the American paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. A sordid affair still to be clarified, which has shown the world the arrogance and sense of impunity of King Charles III's younger brother and revived the controversy over the role and usefulness of the royal family.
In order to understand, one has to go back in time, as Augias does by telling the story of three extraordinary women: Elizabeth I, Gloriana, the queen who said she had 'the body of a weak woman but the heart and temper of a king'; Victoria, the sovereign who gave her name to an era; and Elizabeth II, who beat them both by the length of her reign and was a model of a sense of duty and 'moderation in all things'.
The British monarchy has experienced other moments of crisis: from the execution of Charles I (before Andrew the only member of the royal family to be arrested) in 1649 to the resounding abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 to the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, which for the first and only time made Elizabeth unpopular, accused of coldness. "For the UK and the world Diana was an overwhelming love," writes Augias. "For the monarchy, an almost mortal danger."
The danger was overcome, and upon the death of Elizabeth II in 2022 the queen who had accompanied her subjects for over 70 years was mourned with genuine affection by the entire country. Her son King Charles III, after the longest wait in history, ascended the throne 'determined to leave a mark of wisdom and a personal note during his reign' and continues to speak on the themes that have always been dear to him: the environment, religious tolerance, the importance of Europe.
