May 4, 2023 • 21 mins
Eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III will receive his coronation this weekend. University of Maryland History professor Julie Taddeo is an expert on the British royal family, and she joins host Steven Schragis to explain the significance of this historic event and what to expect.
One Day University is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. You can sign up at the website OneDayU.com to become a member and access over 700 full length video lectures. You can also download their app. Once you’re a member, you can watch Professor Julie Taddeo’s lectures on Queen Elizabeth, royal scandals, Downton Abbey, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
William and Kate. By the time they give their turn,
they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
longevity of these royal family members, right the Queen mom
died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome to one day University talks with the world's most
engaging and inspiring professors discussing their most popular courses. This
podcast is your chance to discover some of our top
rated lectures on your own schedule. I'm Stephen Tregis. We're
traveling across the Pond to Great Britain, where King Charles
(00:47):
the Third's coronation takes place this weekend. Although Charles became
king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died last September, the
coronation is an important symbolic ceremony steeped in royalty tradition.
In fact, coronations for British monarchs have been around for
over a thousand years. Professor Julietatio knows this history well.
(01:10):
She has given lectures on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth
and the monarchy's centuries of royal scandals. Julie is an
author and a research professor of history at the University
of Maryland. She says the British monarchy's power has evolved
quite a bit over the centuries.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
If this were before sixteen eighty eight, the monarch would
be considered divine. But after the sixteen eighty eight Glorious Revolution,
with William and Mary agreeing to rule with the Bill
of Rights, we see after that over the centuries pretty
much the decline of all of those royal powers. The
king or Queen will no longer be above the law.
(01:56):
They're subject to the authority of Parliament. Today, Charles, like
his mother, has the right to give the royal approval
to legislation, doesn't initiate it or really have anything to
do with making laws. It's mainly ceremonial. He's the head
of state, how to the church, how to the military,
had a state of the Commonwealth. But he has the
(02:18):
right to be consulted, the right to advise the Prime Minister,
and does play an important role with all the royal
tours and hosting foreign visitors, and if you look at
the Royal UK website, he is, like any monarch, is
meant to be a source of national pride like the
human face of government who unifies the nation. And that's
(02:40):
no small role to play about.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
How many nations are there in the Commonwealth, and how
has that changed since Queen Elizabeth's coronation and in recent years.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So when the Queen first learned that she was Queen herself,
the first speech that she made was about recognizing how
the Imperial fold was growing up in changing, and so
the Commonwealth, of course change in a response to the
changing empire and the loss of certain colonies. That one
had already happened before her reign in nineteen forty seven,
(03:12):
obviously Indian independence, and then since nineteen forty seven through
the nineteen sixties almost all of the former colonies had
gained their independence. So this idea of a commonwealth of
nations is relatively new. It's now fourteen nations. Since the
time of her death. In twenty twenty one, Barbados stopped
recognizing Elizabeth as head of state became a republic. Jamaica
(03:35):
is considering doing the same, so the numbers may change
moving forward. They have to officially recognize him. He doesn't
automatically inherit that title. There was talk several days before
the coronation that Canada may no longer recognize the British
monarch as head of state. Australia just decided to not
put Charles's image on their paper currency.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
They have an.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Indigenous design instead. Going forward, we shall see.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I've heard you lecture about Queen Elizabeth before she passed,
and it's as you said, and all of us knew.
She was beloved by many, many, many people. Charles is
a very different character though. How popular or unpopular is he?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Well, I do want to say, you know, she had
moments of unpopularity as well, but there is a huge
difference in their coronations. Britain had come out of those
tough years of rebuilding after the war. By nineteen fifty three,
rationing was finally over, and there was this feeling now
that the nation was moving forward. It still had some
of its empire, with the understanding it was going to change,
(04:40):
and she was talking about the Imperial family and how
she was going to represent everyone. There isn't this feeling
of I think youthfulness of the nation in the post
war period, and the last few years had been incredibly
tough for the world and of course for Britain with
Brexit dividing the name and then the pandemic. It is
(05:02):
a different moment in time than nineteen fifty three, so
I think that is a challenge for him. But if
we think back to those days after his mother died,
there was such an outpouring of affection for him that
I have tomit. I was surprised as he walked about
the crowds and women were hugging and kissing him, and
he didn't seem to mind. So I think that he
(05:26):
may do better than I predicted a few months ago.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We'll see how it goes. But I've heard a few
people say that somehow when his mother died seems like
perception changed, and when he actually becomes king, let's see
what happens. Then. You said, when you're referring to Charles,
the crown will rest heavy on his shoulders. Is there
some sentiment that, maybe, how can I put this, he's
(05:50):
the wrong guy for the job, and what does that
mean for the monarchy?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Well, you know, he's been waiting his turn since he
was four years old, so I know that there were
some people before his mother died who said, oh, he's
too old, he should just you know, allow his son
to be king. That's not the way it happens. I mean,
he's waited for his turn, and he's ready. And I
think that in those last few years of her life,
(06:15):
the Queen was really trying to smooth his transition, made
things a little bit easier for him, and I think
just the reception the tabloids have been largely favorable and
the public has been more favorable to him recently. It's
going to be difficult, obviously to fill those shoes in
that Crown, and maybe it won't be as heavy as
I once thought and more fair to him now.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
The show The Crown, I've seen it here in the
United States. I've heard it's very very popular in England.
Everybody watches it, and that Charles is not too happy
with how he is portrayed in that show. Do you
think it's actually impacted his popularity in Britain, especially among
younger people who didn't know and didn't live through all
(06:59):
the scandalous stuff that's in that show.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
From what I read, viewership in the UK of The
Crown really escalated in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth the
Second's death. I do think though, that you know, even
though the royal family said they wanted a disclaimer, and
even Judy Dench demanded it from Netflix, so that it's
just historical fiction. I do think it was probably Charles
who was feeling upset with the way he was portrayed
(07:22):
in the previous season in the early years of his
marriage with Diana. The last season I felt was more
sympathetic towards Charles. And actually, if we take this series
as a whole and we go back to the early
years of Charles's life, it really shows that it's hard
to say, oh, the poor prince, but his childhood wasn't
always an easy one. His parents were largely absent for
(07:45):
a lot of key moments in his life. He lived
in the shadow of what we would call an alpha
male father, and he was more sensitive from the moment
of his birth when he was presented, you know, on
display to the royal courtiers. He's always been public property.
I think in some ways the public can feel for him,
but there are certain things that many both British and
(08:05):
American viewers are a little reluctant to forgive, and that
of course is the debacle of his marriage to Diana.
But his popularity had gone up after his mother died
and in the months leading up to the coronation, So
we'll see if he gets a boost in the polls
after the coronation as well. But I do think the
Crown has hurt and helped him in some ways.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
That's a fair enough answer. Now, my mother is not
alive right now, but if she was, she would watch
this coronation. But I know what she'd say. She'd say,
I will never forgive him for Diana. And maybe she's
not the only one who would say that. How does
that factor it? You have thoughts on.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
That, Well, that's something I've said in the past. You know,
I was a girl and I watched Diana get married
and a grown woman when I watched her funeral, and
those were tough moments, and I think a lot of women,
British and American could relate to her when she told,
you know, all of those stories about her life and
her battles with mental illness and infidelity. We have to
(09:04):
recall too, that the twenty fifth anniversary of her death
was a little more than a week before the Queen's step.
So I think back to her BBC interview right with
Martin Bauscher when she said there were three of us
in this marriage. There is that figure of Diana that
will always loom over them.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Julie. We had expected Camilla to have the title of
Queen Consort, but on the invitation to the coronation they
called her Queen Camilla. How big a deal is that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's not as big a deal as I think some
people are made of it when they saw the invitation.
She is still the Queen Consort. That is really her
official title. It's just very clunky to call someone Queen
Consort Camilla, Queen Consort Mary So. Previous queen consorts have
typically just been called Queen so and so. The fact
(09:52):
is that as the Queen Consort, she'll never be sovereign
in her own right. That's why it's significant that people
understand means So he's the sovereign. He has all of
the rights and powers that doesn't get passed on to her,
even though she's getting crowned in the ceremony. So if
he predeceases her, she's never queen in her own right
(10:15):
to rule. It still goes to William. So. I think
it was a couple of things. The public has slowly
been prepared. First, she was going to be the prince's consort,
then Elizabeth before her death said no, she's a queen
consort because for some people they still held in their
hearts Diana's memory that she should have been the queen consort.
But now Charles really wants to prepare the public for
(10:37):
her role and to make them accept her more. And
I think that's one of the significant reasons for removing
a consort from the invitation. But she is still queen consort.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
What do people think of Camilla when Diana was alive,
that was a complicated situation, but let's skip to twenty
twenty three. What's the perception of her now?
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Well, when they married in two thousand and five, people booed, right,
But now his marriage to her has lasted longer than
his marriage to Diana, So I think the public has
largely gotten used to them. I don't know if their
merchandise from their marriage sells as well as even still
the Charles and Diana merchandise. She is less popular than Charles,
(11:17):
who is less popular than his mother, but she's still
more popular than Andrew, so that's a good thing. And
I think, you know, the tabloids have been kind of
working in her favor since the Queen's funeral and we
have to remember events like funerals, weddings, births, coronations. It
gives all the royals a boost and maybe temporary, but
(11:40):
I think this is going to give her a boost
as well.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
After the break. What to expect at the coronation and
what the future holds for William and Kate. We're just
a couple of days away from the coronation. Certainly not
(12:08):
the first coronation in British history. But how will this
coronation be different than any other before it?
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Well, he's the oldest monarch to be crowned. I think
some things we're going to see will just be fairly standard, right,
operation Golden Orb. He's going to be anointed with the
Holy Oil. He'll get the orb, the coronation ring, the
scepter will be blessed, He'll sit in Edward's chair. Those
things are standard. A couple of things which maybe to
(12:37):
us as Americans we don't think are a big deal,
but I think are kind of significant because Charles has
talked so much about streamlining things, trying to reduce costs.
At the same time he wants his special day. So
one thing that will observe is that the precession route
on the way to the abbey is going to be shorter,
(12:58):
and they'll also be in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
That coach was built for Queen Elizabeth's sixtieth anniversary or
Diamond Jubilee, and it has heat and air conditioning and
it's a lot come fear than the Golden Coach. But
he and Camilla will ride back in that gold coach
(13:18):
on their way back to the palace so the crowds
can see them, and I think everyone kind of expects
that gold coach that was still relatively new, that's been
used since the time of William the Fourth in eighteen
thirty one. But Queen Elizabeth Second had said that at
the time that she had to ride in it both ways.
It's a horrible ride. It's so uncomfortable and bumpy, So
(13:39):
I think it's for his comfort, but also to show
we're streamlining things. The other thing is that the crown
that Camilla will be wearing when she has crowned during
the coronation. Typically there's a new Tierra design for all
of these ceremonies. Instead, they're sort of recycling and reusing
a crown that was Queen Consort Mary from nineteen eleven.
(14:01):
It's got two thousand diamonds in it, so it's not
a slouchy crown. But that does I think cut costs,
and it looks like they're being mindful of certain things.
So those, to me, those are actually significant because they're
all embedded with very old traditions.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
The Queen's Jubilee not that long ago was very expensive,
and now we have a coronation. Is there a feeling
that maybe too much money is being spent on all
this stuff?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
There's always that complaint. Made I think about the Queen's
first Jubilee in nineteen seventy seven, and my daughter, who
loves the sex Pistols, to think about their anthem of
protest right of God save the Queen, because those were
really tough years of recession, global recession, and what's the
idea of spending money when people are suffering? Same thing
when Charles and Diana got married had been a very
(14:51):
bad winter, the Winter of Discontent, and so spending money
on a fairy tale wedding. So whenever there's one of
these events, that criticism is made, like money could be
spent in a better way. And Charles was I think
he heard some of that, but at the same time,
he wants his day in the sun.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Do we know if Harry and Megan will be at
the coronation.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So Harry will Meghan has said that she's staying behind.
It's their child's birthday, and I think that's a good compromise.
But I think that it'll some people who criticize her
for not being there. But if she was there, she'd
be criticized.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
What role will Prince William play in the coronation. There's
going to be a focus on William. How's he going
to be involved in all of this.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I think we already saw, like immediately after the Queen died,
that William and Kate were really taking a front and
center role, getting more responsibilities. Even before that, they had
done one of those royal tours and it didn't go
so well when they were touring some Commonwealth countries who
were kind of saying, we don't really want you anymore.
So they're going to have to do their work too
to convince Commonwealth nations through their royal tours to stay
(15:56):
a part of the Commonwealth. We'll see if they'll succeed.
They still give the youth and glamour to the royalty
at forty they're still both very good looking, and the
tabloids have been really working in Kate's favor as the
good princess kind Kate, they double all of these nice things,
even though they didn't love her so much in the beginning,
but now she's the good princess. So I think as
(16:18):
a royal couple, they're going to bring the youth and
glamour that Charles and Camilla can't. But also Charles has
had to step back from a lot of his favorite charities. Monarchs,
you know, can't be outspoken about their overall views. William
and Kate of course, can then take over some of
those functions, and by the time they give their turn,
(16:39):
they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
longevity of these royal family members, right, the Queen mon
died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Well, let me follow up on something you just said.
He said a king can't really be outspoken in his views.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Why not, He's already being reigned in. They have to
be really politically neutral. They can't side with one party
over the other. Now, there are ways, of course, in
which they can kind of leak their views, thinking back
to like the Thatcher years and that one of the
newspapers supposedly leaked a story that the Queen was upset
(17:21):
with the Conservatives, especially Thatcher, for her support of apartheid
and also some of her social welfare policies which the
Queen thought was too cruel. And then you know, during
the Scottish referendum and Brexit, you know, the Royals kind
of leaked their views about that they are not supposed
to express their support for one political issue over another. Charles,
(17:42):
as Prince, was definitely more outspoken, sometimes got himself in
trouble over that. His big issue, of course, about climate change.
It's a very political issue, as we know, but it's
such an important one. So I'm hoping that that is
the mantle that his son will take up advocating for
policies in that regard. But Charles cant, now.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Julie, let's get down to it. I'm an American, and
I admit I have trouble understanding how a monarchy can
even exist in a modern country like England. And I
know there's some in Britain who agree with me. What
are your feelings about that? Could the monarchy be past
its prime? Will it ever go away?
Speaker 1 (18:24):
We've heard this so many times over the years. I mean,
I think back to was at nineteen fifty seven when
the scandal where the aristocrat journalist said the queen was
too priggish and then he had to apologize. People attacked
his home because how dare you insult the monarch? When
Diana and Charles divorce, the monarchy was over. When Harry
and Meghan gave the interview for OPRAH, people said the
(18:46):
monarchy is over. People on both sides of the political spectrum,
if a majority still poll at least the last one
I saw, it's favoring a constitutional monarchy, not a republic
like the US numbers. As I've said, for among younger people,
there are more among younger people they do favor doing
a way with the monarchy, but it's still not a majority.
(19:08):
And I think that events like this, the royals get
bumps from it. What we call a tonic to the nation.
It brings people together. It's a source of national pride
and Americans, you know, we watch shows like Downton Abbey
and Bridgerton and the Crown and every news show in
the morning always gives us, you know, tidbits about the royals.
(19:29):
So Americans we pride ourselves on a republic and a democracy,
but we love this stuff about aristocracy what we don't have.
There's something kind of romantic about it. I don't think
it's so romantic to many British people, and don't forget it.
It's also divided for people. When the Queen died, there
were people in Northern Ireland who were mourning her and
(19:50):
there were others who were kind of not celebrating but
not upset. So it's not uniform. You really got to
break it down by region. I think as well age
how people feel about the monarchy. I'm not predicting its
end because people do that all the time and they're
always wrong.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Julie, thank you so much for doing this. I learned
a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to
do this because it's a big event. Thank you again.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Thank you. I'm looking forward to watching it all.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks for joining us here at One Day University. Sign
up at our website one dayu dot com to become
a member and access over seven hundred full length video
lectures from the world's finest professors. You can also download
our app. There you can learn more about today's episode
and watch University of Maryland Professor Julie Tattio's lectures on
(20:44):
Queen Elizabeth, Royal scandalus Dalton Abbey, and more. Join us
next time when we talk about America's role as the
fast food dation.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
On average, nine pounds of potatoes have to be available
in America daily in order for fast food to continue
to do its work, and so the pressures that it
puts on the American agriculture system, the meat processing system
is just shocking.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
One Day University is a production of iHeart Podcasts and
School of Humans. If you're enjoying the show, leave a
review in your favorite podcast app. You can also check
out other Curiosity podcasts to learn about history, pop culture,
true crime, and more.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
School of Humans
William and Kate. By the time they give their turn,
they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
longevity of these royal family members, right the Queen mom
died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome to one day University talks with the world's most
engaging and inspiring professors discussing their most popular courses. This
podcast is your chance to discover some of our top
rated lectures on your own schedule. I'm Stephen Tregis. We're
traveling across the Pond to Great Britain, where King Charles
(00:47):
the Third's coronation takes place this weekend. Although Charles became
king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died last September, the
coronation is an important symbolic ceremony steeped in royalty tradition.
In fact, coronations for British monarchs have been around for
over a thousand years. Professor Julietatio knows this history well.
(01:10):
She has given lectures on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth
and the monarchy's centuries of royal scandals. Julie is an
author and a research professor of history at the University
of Maryland. She says the British monarchy's power has evolved
quite a bit over the centuries.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
If this were before sixteen eighty eight, the monarch would
be considered divine. But after the sixteen eighty eight Glorious Revolution,
with William and Mary agreeing to rule with the Bill
of Rights, we see after that over the centuries pretty
much the decline of all of those royal powers. The
king or Queen will no longer be above the law.
(01:56):
They're subject to the authority of Parliament. Today, Charles, like
his mother, has the right to give the royal approval
to legislation, doesn't initiate it or really have anything to
do with making laws. It's mainly ceremonial. He's the head
of state, how to the church, how to the military,
had a state of the Commonwealth. But he has the
(02:18):
right to be consulted, the right to advise the Prime Minister,
and does play an important role with all the royal
tours and hosting foreign visitors, and if you look at
the Royal UK website, he is, like any monarch, is
meant to be a source of national pride like the
human face of government who unifies the nation. And that's
(02:40):
no small role to play about.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
How many nations are there in the Commonwealth, and how
has that changed since Queen Elizabeth's coronation and in recent years.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So when the Queen first learned that she was Queen herself,
the first speech that she made was about recognizing how
the Imperial fold was growing up in changing, and so
the Commonwealth, of course change in a response to the
changing empire and the loss of certain colonies. That one
had already happened before her reign in nineteen forty seven,
(03:12):
obviously Indian independence, and then since nineteen forty seven through
the nineteen sixties almost all of the former colonies had
gained their independence. So this idea of a commonwealth of
nations is relatively new. It's now fourteen nations. Since the
time of her death. In twenty twenty one, Barbados stopped
recognizing Elizabeth as head of state became a republic. Jamaica
(03:35):
is considering doing the same, so the numbers may change
moving forward. They have to officially recognize him. He doesn't
automatically inherit that title. There was talk several days before
the coronation that Canada may no longer recognize the British
monarch as head of state. Australia just decided to not
put Charles's image on their paper currency.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
They have an.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Indigenous design instead. Going forward, we shall see.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I've heard you lecture about Queen Elizabeth before she passed,
and it's as you said, and all of us knew.
She was beloved by many, many, many people. Charles is
a very different character though. How popular or unpopular is he?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Well, I do want to say, you know, she had
moments of unpopularity as well, but there is a huge
difference in their coronations. Britain had come out of those
tough years of rebuilding after the war. By nineteen fifty three,
rationing was finally over, and there was this feeling now
that the nation was moving forward. It still had some
of its empire, with the understanding it was going to change,
(04:40):
and she was talking about the Imperial family and how
she was going to represent everyone. There isn't this feeling
of I think youthfulness of the nation in the post
war period, and the last few years had been incredibly
tough for the world and of course for Britain with
Brexit dividing the name and then the pandemic. It is
(05:02):
a different moment in time than nineteen fifty three, so
I think that is a challenge for him. But if
we think back to those days after his mother died,
there was such an outpouring of affection for him that
I have tomit. I was surprised as he walked about
the crowds and women were hugging and kissing him, and
he didn't seem to mind. So I think that he
(05:26):
may do better than I predicted a few months ago.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We'll see how it goes. But I've heard a few
people say that somehow when his mother died seems like
perception changed, and when he actually becomes king, let's see
what happens. Then. You said, when you're referring to Charles,
the crown will rest heavy on his shoulders. Is there
some sentiment that, maybe, how can I put this, he's
(05:50):
the wrong guy for the job, and what does that
mean for the monarchy?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Well, you know, he's been waiting his turn since he
was four years old, so I know that there were
some people before his mother died who said, oh, he's
too old, he should just you know, allow his son
to be king. That's not the way it happens. I mean,
he's waited for his turn, and he's ready. And I
think that in those last few years of her life,
(06:15):
the Queen was really trying to smooth his transition, made
things a little bit easier for him, and I think
just the reception the tabloids have been largely favorable and
the public has been more favorable to him recently. It's
going to be difficult, obviously to fill those shoes in
that Crown, and maybe it won't be as heavy as
I once thought and more fair to him now.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
The show The Crown, I've seen it here in the
United States. I've heard it's very very popular in England.
Everybody watches it, and that Charles is not too happy
with how he is portrayed in that show. Do you
think it's actually impacted his popularity in Britain, especially among
younger people who didn't know and didn't live through all
(06:59):
the scandalous stuff that's in that show.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
From what I read, viewership in the UK of The
Crown really escalated in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth the
Second's death. I do think though, that you know, even
though the royal family said they wanted a disclaimer, and
even Judy Dench demanded it from Netflix, so that it's
just historical fiction. I do think it was probably Charles
who was feeling upset with the way he was portrayed
(07:22):
in the previous season in the early years of his
marriage with Diana. The last season I felt was more
sympathetic towards Charles. And actually, if we take this series
as a whole and we go back to the early
years of Charles's life, it really shows that it's hard
to say, oh, the poor prince, but his childhood wasn't
always an easy one. His parents were largely absent for
(07:45):
a lot of key moments in his life. He lived
in the shadow of what we would call an alpha
male father, and he was more sensitive from the moment
of his birth when he was presented, you know, on
display to the royal courtiers. He's always been public property.
I think in some ways the public can feel for him,
but there are certain things that many both British and
(08:05):
American viewers are a little reluctant to forgive, and that
of course is the debacle of his marriage to Diana.
But his popularity had gone up after his mother died
and in the months leading up to the coronation, So
we'll see if he gets a boost in the polls
after the coronation as well. But I do think the
Crown has hurt and helped him in some ways.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
That's a fair enough answer. Now, my mother is not
alive right now, but if she was, she would watch
this coronation. But I know what she'd say. She'd say,
I will never forgive him for Diana. And maybe she's
not the only one who would say that. How does
that factor it? You have thoughts on.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
That, Well, that's something I've said in the past. You know,
I was a girl and I watched Diana get married
and a grown woman when I watched her funeral, and
those were tough moments, and I think a lot of women,
British and American could relate to her when she told,
you know, all of those stories about her life and
her battles with mental illness and infidelity. We have to
(09:04):
recall too, that the twenty fifth anniversary of her death
was a little more than a week before the Queen's step.
So I think back to her BBC interview right with
Martin Bauscher when she said there were three of us
in this marriage. There is that figure of Diana that
will always loom over them.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Julie. We had expected Camilla to have the title of
Queen Consort, but on the invitation to the coronation they
called her Queen Camilla. How big a deal is that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's not as big a deal as I think some
people are made of it when they saw the invitation.
She is still the Queen Consort. That is really her
official title. It's just very clunky to call someone Queen
Consort Camilla, Queen Consort Mary So. Previous queen consorts have
typically just been called Queen so and so. The fact
(09:52):
is that as the Queen Consort, she'll never be sovereign
in her own right. That's why it's significant that people
understand means So he's the sovereign. He has all of
the rights and powers that doesn't get passed on to her,
even though she's getting crowned in the ceremony. So if
he predeceases her, she's never queen in her own right
(10:15):
to rule. It still goes to William. So. I think
it was a couple of things. The public has slowly
been prepared. First, she was going to be the prince's consort,
then Elizabeth before her death said no, she's a queen
consort because for some people they still held in their
hearts Diana's memory that she should have been the queen consort.
But now Charles really wants to prepare the public for
(10:37):
her role and to make them accept her more. And
I think that's one of the significant reasons for removing
a consort from the invitation. But she is still queen consort.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
What do people think of Camilla when Diana was alive,
that was a complicated situation, but let's skip to twenty
twenty three. What's the perception of her now?
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Well, when they married in two thousand and five, people booed, right,
But now his marriage to her has lasted longer than
his marriage to Diana, So I think the public has
largely gotten used to them. I don't know if their
merchandise from their marriage sells as well as even still
the Charles and Diana merchandise. She is less popular than Charles,
(11:17):
who is less popular than his mother, but she's still
more popular than Andrew, so that's a good thing. And
I think, you know, the tabloids have been kind of
working in her favor since the Queen's funeral and we
have to remember events like funerals, weddings, births, coronations. It
gives all the royals a boost and maybe temporary, but
(11:40):
I think this is going to give her a boost
as well.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
After the break. What to expect at the coronation and
what the future holds for William and Kate. We're just
a couple of days away from the coronation. Certainly not
(12:08):
the first coronation in British history. But how will this
coronation be different than any other before it?
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Well, he's the oldest monarch to be crowned. I think
some things we're going to see will just be fairly standard, right,
operation Golden Orb. He's going to be anointed with the
Holy Oil. He'll get the orb, the coronation ring, the
scepter will be blessed, He'll sit in Edward's chair. Those
things are standard. A couple of things which maybe to
(12:37):
us as Americans we don't think are a big deal,
but I think are kind of significant because Charles has
talked so much about streamlining things, trying to reduce costs.
At the same time he wants his special day. So
one thing that will observe is that the precession route
on the way to the abbey is going to be shorter,
(12:58):
and they'll also be in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
That coach was built for Queen Elizabeth's sixtieth anniversary or
Diamond Jubilee, and it has heat and air conditioning and
it's a lot come fear than the Golden Coach. But
he and Camilla will ride back in that gold coach
(13:18):
on their way back to the palace so the crowds
can see them, and I think everyone kind of expects
that gold coach that was still relatively new, that's been
used since the time of William the Fourth in eighteen
thirty one. But Queen Elizabeth Second had said that at
the time that she had to ride in it both ways.
It's a horrible ride. It's so uncomfortable and bumpy, So
(13:39):
I think it's for his comfort, but also to show
we're streamlining things. The other thing is that the crown
that Camilla will be wearing when she has crowned during
the coronation. Typically there's a new Tierra design for all
of these ceremonies. Instead, they're sort of recycling and reusing
a crown that was Queen Consort Mary from nineteen eleven.
(14:01):
It's got two thousand diamonds in it, so it's not
a slouchy crown. But that does I think cut costs,
and it looks like they're being mindful of certain things.
So those, to me, those are actually significant because they're
all embedded with very old traditions.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
The Queen's Jubilee not that long ago was very expensive,
and now we have a coronation. Is there a feeling
that maybe too much money is being spent on all
this stuff?
Speaker 1 (14:29):
There's always that complaint. Made I think about the Queen's
first Jubilee in nineteen seventy seven, and my daughter, who
loves the sex Pistols, to think about their anthem of
protest right of God save the Queen, because those were
really tough years of recession, global recession, and what's the
idea of spending money when people are suffering? Same thing
when Charles and Diana got married had been a very
(14:51):
bad winter, the Winter of Discontent, and so spending money
on a fairy tale wedding. So whenever there's one of
these events, that criticism is made, like money could be
spent in a better way. And Charles was I think
he heard some of that, but at the same time,
he wants his day in the sun.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Do we know if Harry and Megan will be at
the coronation.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So Harry will Meghan has said that she's staying behind.
It's their child's birthday, and I think that's a good compromise.
But I think that it'll some people who criticize her
for not being there. But if she was there, she'd
be criticized.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
What role will Prince William play in the coronation. There's
going to be a focus on William. How's he going
to be involved in all of this.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I think we already saw, like immediately after the Queen died,
that William and Kate were really taking a front and
center role, getting more responsibilities. Even before that, they had
done one of those royal tours and it didn't go
so well when they were touring some Commonwealth countries who
were kind of saying, we don't really want you anymore.
So they're going to have to do their work too
to convince Commonwealth nations through their royal tours to stay
(15:56):
a part of the Commonwealth. We'll see if they'll succeed.
They still give the youth and glamour to the royalty
at forty they're still both very good looking, and the
tabloids have been really working in Kate's favor as the
good princess kind Kate, they double all of these nice things,
even though they didn't love her so much in the beginning,
but now she's the good princess. So I think as
(16:18):
a royal couple, they're going to bring the youth and
glamour that Charles and Camilla can't. But also Charles has
had to step back from a lot of his favorite charities. Monarchs,
you know, can't be outspoken about their overall views. William
and Kate of course, can then take over some of
those functions, and by the time they give their turn,
(16:39):
they won't be so young and glamorous. Based on the
longevity of these royal family members, right, the Queen mon
died at what one hundred and one, Elizabeth at ninety six,
so Charles could get a couple of decades as monarch.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Well, let me follow up on something you just said.
He said a king can't really be outspoken in his views.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Why not, He's already being reigned in. They have to
be really politically neutral. They can't side with one party
over the other. Now, there are ways, of course, in
which they can kind of leak their views, thinking back
to like the Thatcher years and that one of the
newspapers supposedly leaked a story that the Queen was upset
(17:21):
with the Conservatives, especially Thatcher, for her support of apartheid
and also some of her social welfare policies which the
Queen thought was too cruel. And then you know, during
the Scottish referendum and Brexit, you know, the Royals kind
of leaked their views about that they are not supposed
to express their support for one political issue over another. Charles,
(17:42):
as Prince, was definitely more outspoken, sometimes got himself in
trouble over that. His big issue, of course, about climate change.
It's a very political issue, as we know, but it's
such an important one. So I'm hoping that that is
the mantle that his son will take up advocating for
policies in that regard. But Charles cant, now.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Julie, let's get down to it. I'm an American, and
I admit I have trouble understanding how a monarchy can
even exist in a modern country like England. And I
know there's some in Britain who agree with me. What
are your feelings about that? Could the monarchy be past
its prime? Will it ever go away?
Speaker 1 (18:24):
We've heard this so many times over the years. I mean,
I think back to was at nineteen fifty seven when
the scandal where the aristocrat journalist said the queen was
too priggish and then he had to apologize. People attacked
his home because how dare you insult the monarch? When
Diana and Charles divorce, the monarchy was over. When Harry
and Meghan gave the interview for OPRAH, people said the
(18:46):
monarchy is over. People on both sides of the political spectrum,
if a majority still poll at least the last one
I saw, it's favoring a constitutional monarchy, not a republic
like the US numbers. As I've said, for among younger people,
there are more among younger people they do favor doing
a way with the monarchy, but it's still not a majority.
(19:08):
And I think that events like this, the royals get
bumps from it. What we call a tonic to the nation.
It brings people together. It's a source of national pride
and Americans, you know, we watch shows like Downton Abbey
and Bridgerton and the Crown and every news show in
the morning always gives us, you know, tidbits about the royals.
(19:29):
So Americans we pride ourselves on a republic and a democracy,
but we love this stuff about aristocracy what we don't have.
There's something kind of romantic about it. I don't think
it's so romantic to many British people, and don't forget it.
It's also divided for people. When the Queen died, there
were people in Northern Ireland who were mourning her and
(19:50):
there were others who were kind of not celebrating but
not upset. So it's not uniform. You really got to
break it down by region. I think as well age
how people feel about the monarchy. I'm not predicting its
end because people do that all the time and they're
always wrong.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Julie, thank you so much for doing this. I learned
a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to
do this because it's a big event. Thank you again.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Thank you. I'm looking forward to watching it all.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks for joining us here at One Day University. Sign
up at our website one dayu dot com to become
a member and access over seven hundred full length video
lectures from the world's finest professors. You can also download
our app. There you can learn more about today's episode
and watch University of Maryland Professor Julie Tattio's lectures on
(20:44):
Queen Elizabeth, Royal scandalus Dalton Abbey, and more. Join us
next time when we talk about America's role as the
fast food dation.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
On average, nine pounds of potatoes have to be available
in America daily in order for fast food to continue
to do its work, and so the pressures that it
puts on the American agriculture system, the meat processing system
is just shocking.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
One Day University is a production of iHeart Podcasts and
School of Humans. If you're enjoying the show, leave a
review in your favorite podcast app. You can also check
out other Curiosity podcasts to learn about history, pop culture,
true crime, and more.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
School of Humans
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