Nobility expert Julia Melchior in an interview about the Queen and King Charles III.

Julia Melchior, what did Queen Elizabeth II mean to you and your career?
I never met her personally. Other family members do, but I only saw the Queen on a state visit to Berlin in 2015. When talking about royals, the first thing that comes to mind is the Queen of England. There are many queens, but there was only one queen. Everyone in the world associates something with her. Our profession lives from not only reporting about the Queen, but also about her. I lost a beloved protagonist.

How do you remember her?
As an absolute role model in terms of discipline and understanding of office. I admire your sense of duty. She was like a shining star with global reach to reference. He cannot be replaced, neither by someone from Great Britain nor from other European royal houses.

One or the other predicts that the decline of the British monarchy is imminent.
I do not think so. What we are witnessing has been happening in Britain for a thousand years. That royalty passes from one generation to the next. I expect the country to fall into a hangover after the funeral ceremonies. But there is no despair. Don’t project too much onto this one person. There will certainly be major challenges for the new king in order to make the royal family and thus also the monarchy form of government fit for the future. That affects the family, it affects the house and also the self-image of the monarchy, but it will continue – as it has in the last thousand years.

In recent decades, King Charles has often been accused of meddling in politics too often. The royals should actually remain neutral and not express themselves politically. His approval ratings may be rising since the Queen’s death, but can he really become popular with the people?
He will never reach his mother’s prestige. But in recent years it has gained popularity. He is now valued for the points he has long been ridiculed and criticized for. He always presented himself as the conscience of the crown, derided as an “environmental activist” and “organic farmer”. That has changed. Young people in particular are realizing that Charles did not just jump on the bandwagon when it came to environmental issues, but that he has been admonishing and committed out of conviction for decades. The second point is the subject of Diana and Camilla. He was hated and hunted down for adultery. Today you see the relationship with Camilla with different eyes. Charles has only ever loved one woman in his life. This consistency speaks for him. The third reason why he was not taken seriously for a long time was due to his fate as the eternal heir to the throne in the shadow of the queen. But this long-suffering, being able to come to terms with life in the second row, is also an achievement. I think this trait is Charles’ big chance that he’ll do well as a king between a great predecessor and a popular successor. If we’re being honest, he’s only an interim regent. He is only an interim occupier until his son William’s turn in the not-so-distant future. I can imagine that, unlike the Queen, he would abdicate.

For real? In his first speech after ascending the throne, he announced that he would devote the rest of his life to the service of the crown.
Precisely because it is about the crown, i.e. about the institution, he must be receptive to the fact that the right time for a change of throne may be during his lifetime. We experience him as a man open to the currents of the times. And he saw how successful the abdications in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Japan were for the monarchies. A new generation is good for the monarchies. I wouldn’t put it past Charles because he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he just thinks about the crown.

So it can’t go on like this?
No, something has to happen. Because, as the saying goes, “to stay who you are, you have to change”. Charles has some issues to tackle. For example, the so-called Councilors of State, who are allowed to represent the king in his office, are made up of his wife Camilla and the four highest-ranking adults in the line of succession. Apart from Prince William, these are his brother Harry, Prince Andrew and his daughter Beatrice. But all three are no longer “working royals”. This occupation cannot be represented. There is an urgent need for reform in the royal family.

Coming to Harry and Meghan: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been a regular presence since the Queen’s death. However, the dispute does not appear to have been resolved. What do you think?
Reconciliation is difficult as long as there are fears that new allegations will come from California and family internals will be revealed. Apparently, William distances himself more than his father. Charles is seen trying to shake hands with Harry and Meghan. In his address to the nation the day after the Queen’s death, he expressed his love for Harry and Meghan. It was to be expected that he would address his wife and the heir to the throne because they are playing a role. But other family members and then so personally, that was very remarkable. He couldn’t make a bigger bridge to the Sussexes. It is to be hoped that they will now reconcile about death – they need each other. Meghan and Harry could have been key achievers for the monarchy. You could have won many new circles for the royal family. It was a huge loss, but they were unstoppable.

Haven’t you done enough to keep them?
You’re right. Not enough has been done to integrate Meghan. Royalty was unprepared for a woman of Meghan’s stature, and Meghan was unprepared for royalty. Meghan is a seasoned woman, self-confident, ambitious, self-centered. The royal family could have become their global platform to carry their issues out into the world. But according to the rules of the institution that serves the head of state. Maybe it all happened too fast and then it developed its own momentum.

How do you see the mood in England towards Meghan?
The British media are quite brutal with Meghan. They have a clear stance and it’s anti-Meghan. But for the reason that she dares to harm the royal house and the royal family for her own benefit. The British don’t understand that. Meghan hardly gets another chance. Every gesture, every look is actually interpreted to their detriment.

My thesis is that if William takes the throne, he will try to get his brother back.
I hope that happens before then. How are you going to modernize the monarchy when you only have William and Kate to fall back on in the relevant generation? That is not enough. They could really use Meghan and Harry to position the royal family in a contemporary way. They don’t just need each other for PR purposes and as team members, but also as a family. It can be very lonely in royalty.