# Britons; what are you expecting when Charles becomes King? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061 "2022-01-02T02:19:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/201 "2022-01-07T08:52:29Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > The stamps will be changed fairly quickly. The coins will take longer (a year or so). Other heraldry may take a while. Longer than that, I imagine. Coins bearing George V and VI were still in circulation up until decimalisation in 1971. And we’ve still got postboxes bearing Queen Victoria’s initials. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/202 "2022-01-07T10:01:35Z")
As a Canadian, I echo what has been said above: at the time of Charles’ accession, probably nothing will change. Life will go on and Charles will be given the chance to prove his worth. I doubt the change in monarch _per se_ will change public opinion on the monarchy as such. Charles’ subsequent behavior, on which I will not make so bold as to speculate at present, might at some point. > [@APB](#): > > Or it could be split into two separate ceremonies, an Anglican one (probably a shorter version of the traditional service), following by a more ecumenical one. Or a purely religious one, followed by a secular one. The usual suggestion is that the latter would be in Westminster Hall. > > And then there will be the Scotland dilemma. Famously, the Edinburgh service of thanksgiving in 1953 was controversially low-key. There will therefore be strong pressure for something grander and some have floated the idea of reviving a Scottish coronation. The SNP may be not-so-crypto-republicans but demanding something very big will be the obvious way for them to cause a fuss. This is a fantasy of mine: I would like the next Sovereign to have a separate Canadian coronation. I realize this is not likely to happen - the Queen is currently head of state of 15 separate countries - but why couldn’t Canada at least try petitioning the next Sovereign to come to Canada and be crowned in a ceremony specifically reflecting Canadian symbolism and values? I would suggest that a Canadian coronation be entirely secular: no clergy officiating, no prayers or invocations of God. Write a coronation oath for Canada that is “affirmed”, not “sworn”, and does not include the phrase “so help me God”. I would hold it in Parliament rather than in a church. The crown (I would suggest a simple circlet with maple leaf-shaped spikes frugally made of gold electroplated nickel and semi-precious stones from the Canadian Shield) would be placed on his head by several heads of Indigenous communities. How’s that for an authentically Canadian coronation? > [@SanVito](#): > > Longer than that, I imagine. Coins bearing George V and VI were still in circulation up until decimalisation in 1971. And we’ve still got postboxes bearing Queen Victoria’s initials. I remember my mother and me looking a Canadian penny with George VI on it as recently as circa 1985/6 when I would have been 6. I may have seen coins with him in circulation even more recently - maybe even in the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/203 "2022-01-07T10:26:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > When Edward was king, he had no children. So his younger brother George was the heir presumptive. If Edward had remained king and had a son, that son would have become the heir apparent. > > Elizabeth was a girl. She was first in line but would have lost her spot if her father (or her uncle if he had remained king) had had a son. Under the laws at the time, sons succeed before daughters, even if the daughter is older. (This law has since been changed.) For a modern-day example; Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, is currently the heir presumptive, because Naruhito has no male children; he has a daughter, but under current Japanese law women are ineligible to inherit the throne. In the unlikely event that the 61-year-old Emperor and his 58-year-old wife were to have a male son, or in the slightly less unlikely event that the Diet changes the succession law (which was in the works at one time, but was shelved after Fumihito had a son in 2006), then he would fall back in the line of succession. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/204 "2022-01-07T11:22:01Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Coins bearing George V and VI were still in circulation up until decimalisation in 1971. Later than that. Old florins were still legal tender as 10p pieces till 1993. Old shillings were still used as 5 pence coins until 1990. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/205 "2022-01-07T11:44:23Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why is the heir apparent called the heir apparent? If he/she can’t be displaced from next-in-line, why be called “apparent”? Why not simply be called the heir? Under the legal meaning of “heir,” only a dead person has heirs. A living person doesn’t have an heir, at most someone who might become an heir in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/206 "2022-01-07T13:03:42Z")
In response to the OP, a side effect of Charles’ ascension would be that terminology in the Channel Islands would become less awkward. They are not part of the UK but rather a direct possession of the Crown, and the Queen is head of state there under the title “Duke of Normandy”. The title is always used in the masculine, even during the tenure of a woman. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/207 "2022-01-07T13:27:16Z")
The Queen is also Duke of Lancaster. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/208 "2022-01-07T13:28:49Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > In response to the OP, a side effect of Charles’ ascension would be that terminology in the Channel Islands would become less awkward. They are not part of the UK but rather a direct possession of the Crown, and the Queen is head of state there under the title “Duke of Normandy”. The title is always used in the masculine, even during the tenure of a woman. I think the usage of Duke of Normandy is more awkward because of the fragile relationship between the UK and France, rather than the gender of the Duke in question! ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/209 "2022-01-07T13:34:47Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > I would hold it in Parliament rather than in a church. The crown (I would suggest a simple circlet with maple leaf-shaped spikes frugally made of gold electroplated nickel and semi-precious stones from the Canadian Shield) would be placed on his head by several heads of Indigenous communities. How’s that for an authentically Canadian coronation? I would suggest a live beaver placed on his head and a bowl of poutine in his upturned hand. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/210 "2022-01-07T13:37:31Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Charles will be crowned King of the United Kingdom (provided Scotland hasn’t gone its own way by then). There’s no need for multiple ceremonies. William will become Prince of Wales. That’s the obvious counter-argument. But logic may well have very little to do with the political expediencies. The ‘memory’ of the 1953 controversies (at least once everyone has been reminded of them) will be too strong for Scottish politicians not to demand something special and specifically Scottish, especially if something is done in Wales for the new Prince of Wales. It almost certainly won’t be an actual Scottish coronation, which itself would have endless tricky problems. But not having some sort of presentation of the Honours would be hugely controversial and whatever is done will be a conscious and overt attempt not to repeat the mistakes of last time. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/211 "2022-01-07T13:37:58Z")
[This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Normandy#Title_today) Wikipedia artcle mentions an incident when, during a visit to mainland Normandy, the Queen was supposedly cheered as Duchess (which, in terms of gender, contradicts British usage, but so be it) by locals. I can see why; if you’re a strong traditionalist who values the history of your region, you might take a fancy to the idea that there is a lineage that has held, for centuries, a title associated with that region, even if that person happens to be the head of another state. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/212 "2022-01-07T13:39:55Z")
As for Scotland and the coronation, a highly political issue will certainly be whether the Stone of Scone will be used in the ceremony (and brought from Scotland to London for this purpose). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/213 "2022-01-07T14:16:40Z")
> [@My patient's bizarre penis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-patients-bizarre-penis/262329/1): > > The word may also be awkward because it brings to mind other such odd words as _coruscated_ and _consternated_ . See, for example: > > > [@My patient's bizarre penis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-patients-bizarre-penis/262329/1): > > > > Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan, Aug. 30, 2004: > > > > > One of our new inmates was seen by my Physician Assistant last week for a general physical. During the exam, my assistant was surprised and consternated (despite 20 years of practice in the field) by the patient’s penis. So he referred him to _me_ . It has been a long time since I have been surprised by anything a patient might do, or consternated by a genital exam. Repulsed, yes. Consternated, no. The legend lives on of the Bagel Dog man . . . ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/214 "2022-01-07T16:25:04Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > They are not part of the UK but rather a direct possession of the Crown, and the Queen is head of state there under the title “Duke of Normandy”. > [@SanVito](#): > > The Queen is also Duke of Lancaster. Interesting trivia note. Under British pronunciation, these regions are called “Nundy” and “Looster”. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/215 "2022-01-07T16:32:17Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > This Wikipedia artcle mentions an incident when, during a visit to mainland Normandy, the Queen was supposedly cheered as Duchess (which, in terms of gender, contradicts British usage, but so be it) by locals. I wonder how much of that is due to grammatical (rather than semantic) gender in French? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/216 "2022-01-07T18:02:17Z")
[Now is this sperm or blue-tip?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXKZNQvYB24) ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/217 "2022-01-07T18:14:56Z")
They don’t change the coins just for the sake of changing them, old pattern ones continue to circulate until they are worn out/damaged/lost/withdrawn for precious metal content. You could occasionally find Victorian ones in your change into the 1960s (very worn by then). ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/218 "2022-01-07T18:33:28Z")
When I read the title of this thread, I pictured an army of sign painters fanning out across Great Britain, bravely fording Cornish streams, striding across Cumberland dales, climbing remote Scottish glens, fighting off Welsh sheep, until every Royal Mail postbox in every humble hamlet has been repainted with “CR”. “Neither snow nor rain…” But I guess in reality, the Royal Mail will just update them as they need to be repaired or replaced. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/219 "2022-01-07T19:01:27Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > I would suggest that a Canadian coronation be entirely secular: no clergy officiating, no prayers or invocations of God Doesn’t one of the two versions of the anthem talk about carrying the cross in one hand and the sword in the other, or something like that? > [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I would suggest a live beaver placed on his head and a bowl of poutine in his upturned hand. Hockey stick instead of sceptre, no need to mention… > [@Schnitte](#): > > As for Scotland and the coronation, a highly political issue will certainly be whether the Stone of Scone will be used in the ceremony “People have carved their names on it! It’s held in place by a large rock!” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/220 "2022-01-08T00:18:00Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Doesn’t one of the two versions of the anthem talk about carrying the cross in one hand and the sword in the other, or something like that? Juste. > [@](#): > > Car ton bras sait porter l’épée, > Il sait porter la croix! And also this: > [@](#): > > Et ta valeur, de foi trempée, > Protégera nos foyers et nos droits. I suppose “foi” could mean secular hopes, but I’m doubtful… > **[hymne\_national\_f.pdf](https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/francais/celebrer/pdf/hymne_national_f.pdf)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061.md?page=12)