“Carlo and William don't meet Harry without witnesses. Queen? That is why she will not abdicate ”: the future of the monarchy after Philip
The Italian royal watcher Gilda Faleri explains the possible future scenarios that could lie ahead in the English royal family, from Kate's 'strategic' role in the reconciliation between Harry and William to the position of the heir to the throne Charles who will still have to wait before becoming king
Delicate period for the English monarchy. The disappearance of Prince Philip, the "huge void" left in the life of Queen Elizabeth who shared next to him for more than 73 years, the sensational accusations of racism by Harry and Meghan addressed to the royal family in the famous interview released with a timely manner. not very inappropriate: the events that marked the first months of 2021 go in the direction of a new "annus horribilis" of the Windsors, to say it with the same definition that the sovereign used in 1992, when the marriages of three of her four children were wrecked in the gossip chaos and Windsor Castle suffered a devastating fire.
But we are in April, spring has just begun and it is still too early to hypothesize useful scenarios for drastic budgets. The questions about the future of Elizabeth II's reign, however, arise anyway and, among the chronicles that deal with the topic, they seek answers after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh who was a fundamental pillar of a dynasty so discussed and investigated.
What will happen now? Will Elizabeth II abdicate in favor of her firstborn Charles or will she remain so until the end of her days? What about Harry? Did the death of his beloved grandfather help overcome the conflicts with his father and brother William? These are some of the questions answered by Gilda Faleri, an Italian royal watcher who from an early age has cultivated a great passion for royal families and especially for Elizabeth II and the Windsors. She talks about them on The Queeg website, about them she is writing her first book dedicated to Elizabeth II and, on Today, she explained the possible scenarios that, from here on, could arise in front of the British family.
With the death of Prince Philip, an era for the English monarchy comes to an end. Who was the Duke of Edinburgh and how much did he give to the English monarchy?
It was crucial. Both as a brave lieutenant in the navy (remember he was also in the Royal Navy during the allied landing in Sicily in 1943), and as the backbone of the English royal family. He has always taken a step backwards from his wife from an institutional point of view, but in the privacy of the Windsor-Mountbatten family he was the one who made the most important decisions, such as that on raising children. And it was this agreement between husband and wife that made the marriage last for more than 73 years.
In the course of such a long marriage, there was no suspicion of mutual betrayal. In particular, there has often been talk of a 'special' friendship between Philip and Penelope Romsey, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, among the very few present at the duke's funeral ("the prince's second woman", has been defined by some British media ") , but also of the intimate relationship between Elizabeth and Lord Porchester, head of the royal stables. What is the boundary between gossip and news?
The queen was an extremely devoted wife, as seen during Philip's funeral ceremony: she was clearly devastated, while showing dignity and composure. Two figures have always coexisted in her: Elizabeth, the one who no one knows from her personal point of view, and the queen who is a sort of representative of the monarchy. Of these particular friendships nothing is known for sure, we could say that they are chatter. Filippo has always defended himself by saying "It's a bit difficult for me to betray because I'm never alone", and in fact he never was. Lord Porchester was a longtime friend of the queen with whom he shared a passion for horses. Penelope Mountbatten was present at the funeral because she was the wife of Lord Mountbatten's nephew, killed in a terrorist attack in 1979 by the IRA, who for Philip was a second father and an important uncle for Prince Charles: it was he who introduced Elizabeth and Philip. The families have remained very close and today she is a representative of the family also at the public level, considering the poor health conditions of her husband. It is true that she was a very good friend of Filippo, but also of Elisabetta who has a deep respect for her. For this reason I believe that the gossip about some particular relationship between Penelope and Filippo is to be nipped in the bud. If then Philip and the queen have really betrayed no one will ever really know, there has never been evidence. Certainly Philip was faithful to the queen, we do not know if he was faithful to Elizabeth, let's put it this way.
For the sovereign, the loss of the spouse with whom she shared more than 74 years of life represents a "huge void". In your opinion, will her disappearance change the image and public attitude of the imperturbable queen who has already been moved at the funeral as never before?
For her, duty always came first. "Whether it's long or short, my life will always be at your service," he said in his historic speech in South Africa addressed to the British Commonwealth when he was 21 and it has always been true: service to the nation comes before itself, before its own joys and their pains. I really don't think that when she is 95, her way of being and appearing changes, despite the immense pain for the death of her husband, which she still wanted to express with those beautiful couple images published on the family's social networks.
What legacy does Filippo leave, in terms of noble titles and properties?
The titles of Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich passed to Charles. But it should be remembered that when the fourth-born Edward got married, he was promised that on Philip's death he would become duke, as the only one not to be one (he is Earl of Wessex). If this will happen, we will only know when the queen will die, at which time all the titles will pass to Charles who will be king and will be able to decide to distribute them, certainly respecting the wishes of the parents. As for the goods, Filippo was very fond of his carriage and the two ponies, who were those present at his funeral: well, it seems that his will was to donate them to his niece Lady Louise Windsor, first daughter of the fourth-born Edward, who, like his grandfather, he loves to compete in equestrian sports.
And just about Charles, the question everyone is asking is how will the assets of the royal family change: will Queen Elizabeth abdicate in favor of her son Charles? What happens now?
The queen will not abdicate. She promised him in that speech that she would be in service until the end of her days and so will she be. Maybe he will continue to give much more power to her children, especially to Carlo, which has already happened in recent years with the decision not to travel abroad anymore. But unless serious health impediments occur, he will not leave the throne. She will die queen because her life has been devoted to hers. When she will be, Carlo will succeed her by law, there is no way that the throne will pass directly to William unless it is Carlo himself who wants it, but there is great doubt, since she has been waiting for years ...
Impossible not to address the thorny issue of relations between Harry and Meghan on the one hand and the royal family on the other: has the disappearance of Filippo served to mitigate the differences?
With the disappearance of his grandfather, Harry may have thought about the situation ... In a very nice interview, previous to the one he gave with Meghan to Oprah, the prince told about phone calls via Zoom with his grandfather Philip who, not very used to technology, to interrupt the call he suddenly closed the pc. It was a way to make it clear that despite the decision to move away from his family, his relations with his grandparents never stopped and it was in his plans to return for his grandfather's 100th anniversary in June, for the commemoration of 60 years of Lady Diana in July.
What idea did you have of Meghan and the controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey? The accusation of racism addressed to the royal family regarding the color of Archie's skin was heavy ...
The interview was a poorly told, highly prepared fiction, based on episodes that later turned out to be false, such as the alleged secret marriage celebrated three days before the official one and then denied by the Archbishop of Canterbury. That accusation of racism launched in this way, without foundation, was extremely tendentious, done more to stir up American public opinion which, in this historical period, is particularly sensitive to the issue. Much more had to be contextualized and clarified by the same journalist who should have asked how exactly things had gone during a family dialogue in which, perhaps, naturally and without malice, the question arose about any similarities of the unborn child. It was especially William who was disappointed, usually very impartial and indifferent to press provocations, during a public meeting he wanted to reply to those who asked him if his family is racist. “We're not,” he replied angrily. Because then the death of Lady Diana is always brought up as a trauma that Harry has never overcome, but William also suffered from it, let's not forget it.
And today? What is the relationship between the two brothers? The images of William and Harry walking side by side after Filippo's funeral gave a glimpse of rapprochement… Media strategy?
Strategy yes, but of William's wife, Kate, who strongly presses for this reconciliation. In those images, in fact, she was seen walking, talking with Harry. When she noticed that the two brothers were starting to talk, she slowed down and approached Edoardo's wife and then left them alone. She made a very nice gesture. Kate will be an important figure, a go-between for the two. Carlo, on the other hand, as a father, was very upset. So much so that it seems that after the funeral ceremony Charles and William did not want to meet Harry alone, but with witnesses, because they are afraid of what Harry could report. Unlike the queen who met Harry after the ceremony a couple of times.
In a few weeks, the Sussex dukes will become parents again and the bookmakers are already betting on the baby's name which could be a tribute to the queen. What do you think about it? What's your prediction?
In my opinion, among the names there will be that of Diana. I think Lily or Lilibet in homage to the queen may be probable, but they could surprise us with a totally new name, as it already was with Archie Harrison, definitely unusual for the English royal family.
