Mail Online - 15 November 2013
Robert Hardman
The message was clear: Charles is a King-in-waiting as Commonwealth crown jewels were laid out in Sri Lanka
All the Commonwealth crown jewels were laid out on the table last night. The 18-carat gold Commonwealth Mace, with a socking great ruby in its crown, is just as much a statement of regal clout as, say, the Orb. There, too, were the Commonwealth Goblets, the gold cups (one for each member state) which are produced when the Sovereign entertains the leaders of her Commonwealth.
These treasures had all been flown out to Colombo for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Earlier in the day, the Prince had formally opened the 2013 Commonwealth Summit. And when he whacked the Queen’s gavel on the table last night and called the representatives of a third of the world’s population to order, he did so as de facto Monarch. In the very week that Prince Charles has reached what most people would regard as retirement age, he is as busy and contented as he has ever been. And yesterday was his most significant step yet in assuming the mantle of Monarch.
This was a very important moment not just for the Prince but for the Monarchy. The sub-text was clear: here is a King-in-waiting. Hosting meetings of the Commonwealth is one of the principal duties of the Sovereign. And it can also be one of the trickiest, especially at a chaotic summit like this one. The main task for the Prince, as for the Queen in years gone by, has been to provide a badly-needed veneer of unity and glamour. And he has succeeded. Yesterday morning, the Prince avoided all politics, saluted Sri Lanka’s fortitude in the face of the 2004 tsunami and praised the Commonwealth for its ‘touch of healing’. At last night’s banquet, he struck a more personal note with his own Commonwealth memories stretching back to his childhood. Musing on early leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who had given the boy Charles a much-loved bow and arrows at Balmoral, the Prince had his guests in giggles with the tale of the student Charles going waterskiing with Malta’s fiery Dom Mintoff.
Perversely, the more ill-tempered this summit becomes, the more people have been pleased to see the Prince and the Duchess. Such is the power of royal stardust. Having won over this fractious crowd in Colombo, a State Opening of Parliament should be a piece of cake. Though he remains HRH, and not HM, there’s unquestionably a different aura; a head of state buzz about this place.
Back in March, the Secretary General, India’s Kamalesh Sharma, made a speech saluting the Queen’s staunch service to the Commonwealth. He went on: ‘The support given to you in this endeavour by the Prince of Wales deepens the Commonwealth’s links to the Crown. Such heartfelt enthusiasm brings a foundation of friendship and continuity.’ No mere pleasantries. In diplomatic speak, Mr Sharma was saying: ‘All things considered, we’ll stick with the Crown.’ May it be many, many years hence. But come the day when there is a change of reign, I think that Charles III and his Commonwealth are going to get along just fine.