By welcoming the President of the European Commission on Monday, the King of the United Kingdom caused an intense controversy and was accused of interference.
From our correspondent in London, Marc Roche
© AARON CHOWN / POOL / AFP
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Marchandages, com coup, diplomatic bluff. The meeting, Monday, February 27, at Windsor Castle between King Charles III and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, provoked a lively controversy around the interference of the monarchy in international affairs.
The shot went around the world. The sovereign shaking hands with the leader of the European Union at Windsor Castle before having the traditional tea, with scones and cucumber sandwiches on offer. The photo was meant to highlight the earlier announcement of the new Northern Ireland Brexit protocol deal brokered at a palace in the small Berkshire town by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen.
Fury of the Brexiteers, starting with the first of them, the Protestant Unionists called to approve a document to which they are fundamentally hostile because of the maintenance of a role for European justice in the event of a dispute in the affairs of the six counties.
Everyone passes the buck
Faced with the outcry, everyone passed the ball to each other in a vast game of liar poker. Buckingham Palace said the meeting was arranged at the request of Rishi Sunak. For its part, Downing Street points the finger at Brussels and the will of the President of the Commission to meet the new sovereign ascended to the throne, on September 9, 2022. As for the EU, it affirms that the initiative came from London , who proposed this hearing to give greater prominence to this historic step which appeases the tormented relations between the two parties since Brexit. One thing is clear: beyond the controversy, Charles III was very keen to speak with Ursula von der Leyen.
First of all, the Head of State is the guarantor of the unity of the kingdom which threatens a possible reunification of Ireland. Since the end of the Protestant demographic hegemony, the British province is now predominantly Catholic. The inevitable appointment in the event of the restoration of the local assembly – today on the back burner – of a regional Prime Minister from Sinn Féin, the political branch of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) favorable to anchoring to the Republic of the South, attests it. The easing of customs controls as well as the end of direct administration by London established a year ago can only ease community tensions.
Moreover, the British royal family has loudly demonstrated its Ukrainian leanings. A royal position that contrasts with the traditions of neutrality of the crown. The Russian invasion has cemented a partnership between the UK and the EU over sanctions and arms deliveries to kyiv which the monarch intends to publicly support.
The pro-European convictions of Charles III
Finally, the king’s pro-European convictions are old. They are based on the experience of his parents in the Second World War, on his awareness, perhaps because of the German origins of the line, of the indispensable reconciliation with Germany. But because of the divisions and fractures within all the political families on Brexit, he has always muted this ideal.
During the meeting on Monday afternoon, the king respected his prerogatives to the letter. His diplomacy consists only in oiling international relations. And the British government does not hesitate to use it when it encounters difficulties. He doesn’t complain about it. It’s his job.