Countries may abandon monarchy with queen’s death, says expert

the death of queen elizabeth II should leave room for questioning in the 15 countries where she was monarch about whether or not their participation in the monarchy should be maintained, says ESPM professor Denilde Holzhacker.

In an interview with CNN this Sunday (11), she evaluated that this must be one of the main challenges of the King Charles III since there is “strong pressure in many of these countries, a questioning about why to maintain the monarchy, and what gain countries have in being linked to the Commonwealth of Nations and being part of this whole structure”.

She highlights that the Commonwealth of Nations, which includes the 15 countries and another 40 that were former British colonies, is questioned about its efficiency, the benefit it brings to its members and the effective impact on the international presence of the members.

“For small countries, with less international presence, being part of an organization like this, having this visibility, is important. For larger countries, with a greater independent international presence, such as Canada and Australia, there is already a greater question whether the effect is in fact related to the monarchy”, he points out.

In this sense, she believes that the period after the death of Elizabeth II also reinforces the symbolic importance of the queen, with “the world stopping to follow the procession, the whole process”.

“It has an important weight for countries when it is linked to the monarchy, because it gains a cultural, social influence, and in fact it has an effect when we think about the relationship with countries”.

She believes that the continuity of the monarchy will depend on the way the king will conduct the relationship with the countries, but that he “has a great sensitivity, he knows the processes for having waited so long. He also visited all these countries, he knows their dynamics, and it can be an advantage, to be able to maintain this union and this symbolic character”.