Britain’s King Charles will receive his first foreign head of state in London today. He welcomes South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace. “Queen watchers mainly want to know how different he will be from the queen,” says UK correspondent Lia van Bekhoven.
“As well as a meeting with members of the royal family, Ramaphosa will have a meeting with British Prime Minister Sunak, and later opposition leader Starmer,” Van Bekhoven said. “But watchers of royalty mostly want to know how different he will be from the queen. And especially tonight at the state banquet, this is a highlight.’
For Queen Elizabeth, according to Van Bekhoven, the state banquet never really came late, and the bagpipes entered the huge banquet hall at ten o’clock. ‘And then everyone slowed down, it was normal. The question is whether King Charles will keep up that pace and that tradition.”
Acceptance
Van Bekhoven does not think that the new king will be critical of Ramaphosa, accused of politically sensitive issues in his own country. “I think he especially he will be very polite, nice, welcoming and diplomatic. This is a wonderful time for Ramaphosa, who has been accused of corruption and money laundering, to get away from it all. He’d need a distraction.”
According to Van Bekhoven, the British people got used to the new king very quickly. “There was no nationwide breakdown after Elizabeth died. Charles was very quick with the “the show must go on” message. There has been much speculation as to whether the British would accept Camilla as queen, but the answer is yes. She has increased dramatically in popularity. Also, I think Charles is lucky that all kinds of scandals are lurking, and nothing more. They have not yet taken root in the public consciousness.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
