Royal engagements are changing!
But there is still plenty to look forward to...
Hello everyone,
The King and Queen have been out on manoeuvres today, rubbing shoulders with future stars of the stage and screen at Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts.
Among the famous faces the school has produced are the Homeland star David Harewood and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, who both met the royal couple earlier this afternoon.
The outing was a welcome shot of excitement amid a quiet period in the royal calendar, following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement last week that the UK will go to the polls on July 4.
There’s nothing like a surprise General Election announcement to throw long-planned royal diary engagements into disarray.
Officially, royal engagements are being postponed if they “may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign”. There is also some sensitivity over the themes involved if they could be perceived to be political.
For example, an engagement focusing on the topic of knife crime might be moved to later in the year, as might an engagement focusing on homelessness – both social issues which could be the focus of manifesto pledges.
The King himself does not vote and is required to remain politically neutral as a constitutional monarch, which means he has to be careful about which engagements he takes on in the coming weeks.
At the time of writing (May 28) it is not yet clear whether the planned State Visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan will go ahead in June, which is no doubt causing headaches for organisers, who normally plan such diplomatic showpieces with military precision many months in advance.
All overseas and incoming State Visits take place at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the prospect of current ministers potentially no longer remaining in position a week or so after the visit is a tricky one given the importance of the banquets and other set pieces for building relationships with their counterparts.
For King Charles, who has already had to postpone so much this year due to his cancer treatment, it must be frustrating to have to dial back on his diary commitments once again.
But he will not be short of new duties to fulfil, having already proclaimed the Dissolution of Parliament for the first time in his reign last week.
He may soon be appointing his third prime minister since his accession to the throne, depending on the outcome of the polls.
The day after the election, he will invite the leader of the winning party (with the most seats in the House of Commons) to form a government as prime minister. He will also attend the State Opening of Parliament on July 17.
This was one of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s final duties, two days before she died, as she appointed Liz Truss prime minister at Balmoral Castle.
Thankfully, as today’s visit proved, there are still plenty of royal outings set to take place in the coming weeks.