Back in the summer of 1997, then-Prince Charles worked overtime to throw his mother under the bus after Princess Diana’s death. Let’s be real, he didn’t have to work THAT hard – QEII’s reluctance to acknowledge or honor Diana’s life came naturally to her. QEII refused to budge from her “nuh uh, not going to do it” for a full week, all while Charles positioned himself as the heartbroken and devastated ex-husband who now had to raise Diana’s two sons all by himself. Back then, Charles was better at reading a national mood than his mother. Something shifted though. As a major crisis unfolded in England over the past two weeks, Charles has mostly done nothing. He was on vacation in Scotland, watching the Highland Games. People were rioting, committing hate crimes and arson for more than a week before Charles’s staff told people that he had asked for “daily updates.” Even as late as Thursday and Friday last week, Buckingham Palace was still maintaining their position that Charles would not say anything or make any community visits. My guess is that Downing Street was like: nope, you’ve got to say something, at the very least.

The King has praised the way “community spirit” and “compassion” have countered the “aggression and criminality” on display during the riots, says Buckingham Palace. King Charles had been in phone conversations on Friday evening with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and police chiefs.

He gave his “heartfelt thanks to the police and emergency services for all they are doing to restore peace in those areas that have been affected by violent disorder”, said a palace spokesman.

In a call for unity, the King hoped that “shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation”.

King Charles, currently in Scotland, spoke to the prime minister about the wave of disorder and riots. In another joint call, the King spoke to Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council and to UK Gold Commander Ben Harrington, Chief Constable of Essex, thanking the police for their efforts and getting an update on the protests.

“The King shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many,” said a palace spokesman.

There had been questions about whether the King would speak about the riots – and as a politically-neutral monarch he had left the initial response to ministers. But the King has a long record of working to build bridges between different faiths and cultures – calling Britain a “community of communities”. And against the divisions revealed during this unrest, he has made his views known, calling for tolerance and “mutual respect and understanding”.

He is said to have been involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to bring together communities affected by the riots, during his summer break in Scotland, in a year in which he has been treated for cancer. But it is not expected that the King will make any immediate visits to trouble spots until the unrest is over, with the response to the protests seen as being the responsibility of the government.

There had previously been criticism of the lack of an intervention by the King. “We’re told the monarch is supposed to be a figurehead who unites the nation, yet when the nation is in crisis he’s nowhere to be seen,” said Graham Smith, leader of the anti-monarchy group, Republic.

[From BBC]

Oh, my. It appears that all of the vacationing courtiers were called back in. As I said, I also believe Downing Street probably had something to say as well. Keir Starmer just became prime minister a month ago, while Charles has been a “public servant” for fifty-plus years. Starmer needs Charles’s political cover and vice versa. As many critics are saying, the public silence for more than a week was a huge unforced error for Charles. As far as “better late than never” solutions, this was okay – the palace acknowledging a call to Starmer and the police, and a vague statement about community and respect. The bare minimum, many days too late.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.