The Princes of Wales, William and Kate, will visit St David’s Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, this Friday to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The royal couple will take part in a short private ceremony that will include a tribute to William’s grandmother, first in line to the British throne, followed by a meeting with members of the local community, including people who knew Elizabeth II.
The religious service is the only public ceremony on the royal family’s agenda to mark the anniversary of the monarch’s death, which took place on 8 September 2022.
A spokesperson for the royal family told the public broadcaster BBC that King Charles III will not be attending any official public events and has chosen to spend the day “in silence and in private”.
“As we celebrate the first anniversary of His Majesty’s passing and my succession, we remember with great affection his long life, his dedicated service and all he meant to so many of us”Carlos III said in a message released in text and audio.
As we celebrate the first anniversary of Her Majesty’s passing and my accession, we remember with great fondness her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.
I am also deeply grateful for the love and support shown to my wife and myself during… pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0
– The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023
The monarch resides at Balmoral Castle, the Scotland residence where he spent much of the summer and the place where the Queen died at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years.
The British government announced on Sunday that plans for a permanent memorial to the Queen will not be known until 2026, the year in which the 100th anniversary of her birth is celebrated.
Proposals for an ‘appropriate tax’ will be reviewed by a committee headed by Robin Janvrin, former private secretary to Elizabeth II, and then presented to King Charles III and the Prime Minister.
“It will be a unique challenge to record Her Majesty’s extraordinary contribution to our national life during her long reign for future generations.”admitted Janvrin, who worked at Buckingham Palace from 1987 to 2007.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised the Queen’s legacy on Friday.
“As a year passes, the scope of Her Majesty’s service only seems greater. The commitment to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth [organização que congrega Estados e territórios que integraram no passado o império colonial britânico] seems deeper. And our gratitude for such extraordinary life of duty and dedication continues to grow.”he claimed.
A year after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Britain’s parliamentary monarchy remains popular, but without the gusto of the love spell recorded twelve months ago, on the occasion of funeral ceremonies and tributes to the monarch.
A survey published this week by the company YouGov shows that the majority of Britons (59%) believe that King Charles III is doing well, compared to 17% who take the opposite view.
Overall, 62% of Britons want Britain to remain a monarchy and only 26% would prefer a republic, which has more youth support.
On the other hand, 80% of the over-65s support the preservation of the monarchy.
The results of the same survey are interpreted differently by the Republic movement, which emphasized that negative opinion of the monarchy as an institution has increased since the Queen’s death a year ago.
“A third of people currently have a very negative (16%) or very negative (17%) view on royalties, up from 24% (10% and 14% respectively) in September last year”emphasized the movement.
The survey also shows that support for abolition has increased and support for the monarchy has declined, according to the Republican movement, which claims membership has doubled in recent months.
“The monarchy is rapidly losing public support, it is time for the country to engage in a serious debate about the democratic alternative”argued the movement’s director, Graham Smith.
Source: DN
