The old order changeth yielding place to the new!
(Morte d'Arthur, Alfred,Lord Tennyson)
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, an era has ended. Her eldest son, the former Prince of Wales, Charles, heir to the throne since he was three years old , succeeded her immediately, and has been officially crowned as King Charles III of England.
Predictably, news channels and social media are buzzing with all kinds of talks about the British royalty, especially Charles, being the longest serving heir apparent to the throne. In his first address to the nation, the newly crowned King, stated : “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well-lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today… As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation….And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life… My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities…’
Pic Source:Internet
As I heard him speak, I was struck by the fact that all this while, Charles (73 yrs old now) was a Prince and always Prince Charles to all ! I was transported back to my teenage years, way back to 1980, when on his visit to India, he came to Odisha. The then 32 year old charming Prince had started dating Diana Spencer, who even visited Balmoral Castle to meet the Queen and according to popular perception was put through the ‘Balmoral Test’ to assess if she had the right qualities to be a Windsor and a potential Queen of UK. The prince was arguably one of the most eligible bachelor throughout the world at that time!
In 1980, I was a young girl in my 10th standard looking at life through rose tinted spectacles, fed on a solid, heady diet of Mills & Boons romances. Alongwith my friends, I found this fairy tale romance enthralling.
(Prince Charles came to Odisha in 1980)Pic Source:Internet
Imagine the sublime chaos amongst this motley bunch of schoolgirls and my own sense of feverish excitement and basking- in –reflected- glory status, for it was none other than my own father, who was a senior bureaucrat , who was in charge of the State visit of Prince Charles. My younger sister and me were accorded an enviable status which we enjoyed thoroughly. Long conversations and meetings were held in our house! Campa Cola flowed and I remember our then cook, Daitari ( a fiery , proud son of Dhenkanal ) becoming rather anglicized as well--- the man ditched the typical snack accompaniments of samosa, pakora etc in favour of sandwhich ( which he hated earlier)! We were desparate to have a glimpse of the Prince when he landed in Bhubaneshwar airport. But Daddy firmly vetoed the idea. Later, I guess he must have been greatly relieved with this decision! For the entire nation, including the visiting royalty, were taken aback by the kiss which the Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapuri bestowed on the Princes’ cheek in Bombay airport while garlanding him! Much to Daddy’s chagrin and alarm, my precocious kid sister showed the same procivility as the ‘little nymphet’ ( as the actress was referred to then ) and thus his wariness was not unfounded! But the general air of excitement about the Prince seemed to cause flights of fancy in many a heart!
Although Daddy was very busy with the arrangements, strict protocol etc we kept pestering him about the Prince- what he looked like, talked , ate etc. Daddy was vastly amused but told us that the Prince was a amicable, polite and extremely well read young gentleman. Typical! Like all Dads! We ofcourse were dying for all the juicy, gossipy details that women enjoy and revel in. It was Ma who bailed us out of our misery after attending the State dinner and ball. I remember her telling us that he had the charm and chivalry of his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who she had met when the latter had come , in 1961, to India and visited the Indian Institute of Science, ( IISC), Bangalore, where she was studying.
When the then Prince of Wales, for his first official visit in the summer of 1980 he also astonished everyone at a state banquet hosted by the Vice President, Hiddayatullah with his newest language, Urdu. Later, Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited India in February 1992, the year they would later separate. The famous photograph of Diana sitting alone in Taj Mahal grabbed headlines at that time. Unfortunately, their tumultuous life, divorce and the tragic accident that took Diana’s life saddened everyone.
Over the years, I have always followed him as I share the same interests as the King which he has become now.Throughout the last 70 odd years,Prince Charles had always made concern for the environment a cornerstone of his royal work.His many public speeches and campaigns on the issue are well-documented. He warned that GMO seeds are an environmental disaster and has argued for more sustainable agriculture methods which include working in tandem with nature.
On most of my visits to England, I would make it a point to visit Highgrove which is his organic garden that provides organic produce to the “Duchy’ brand at Waitrose. Highgrove is open to the public for part of the year and almost 40,000 visitors view the gardens every year which include a cottage garden, sundial garden, wildflower meadow, and even a carpet garden. My favorite there is the sundial garden and many a delicious precious memories are associated with it.
Many a times , the then Prince, has been ridiculed for his passion for gardening and nature in general. His notorious comments in 1986 about talking to plants are often repeated: "I just come and talk to the plants, really—very important to talk to them, they respond.” Again he was unembarrassed when asked about this in 2013, telling BBC’s Countryfile: “No, now I instruct them instead”
His love for India is well known. During a 2003 visit to India, Prince Charles said in a speech in Mumbai "I will have to pay many more visits to this vast and diverse country for which I have a particular affection." He met the dabbawalas of Mumbai to understand their business. Later on, they were invited as guests to his wedding with Camila in 2005. On his 10th official tour to India in November 2019, Charles celebrated his 71st birthday here. He focused on climate change and sustainable finance ,the long standing relationship between India and UK. He also visited a Gurdwara to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. His Majesty is also passionate about the benefits of yoga, ayurveda & naturopathy.
The new King said in his speech about his late mother: “In her life of service we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which make us great as nations. The affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign”.
I feel that the same solid love for tradition symbiotically weaved with the unwavering to progress will also remain the hallmark of the new King’s reign. He went on to say : “through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of realms – of whose talents, traditions and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud – have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain, constant”.
It will take some time to get used to “God Save The King” but that’s what will truly be in my heart for the erstwhile Prince of Wales and reigning King today, His Majesty King Charles III.
