I am not a monarchist

But I didn't want my feelings to get in the way of other members of the family who are. So we did the whole red white and blue thing, put the ceremony up on the big screen, and ate junk food. 

I thought Charlie looked slightly overwhelmed, tired and having to work hard to remain calm. He did not falter but I could not help thinking that in many ways it was a shame that he was not given this opportunity ten years earlier. Apart from anything else he does seem to be more egalitarian and committed to tolerance and diversity than his mother. There were so many faiths involved, so many black people in senior roles, that you can’t help thinking that he could have had a positive impact on British life and culture and maybe, just maybe, tipped the scales in favour of tolerance back in 2016 when this country voted disastrously to demonstrate its narrowness of vision.

There are huge problems with our monarchy. They represent many things that I resent: the inherited wealth, the defence of privilege, their remoteness from ordinary people. But I don’t think, after the disasters of the twenty first century to date, that we should make their abolition or even their reform our priority. Instead we should let Charles III help to shine a light on a better side of Britain at what is a critical time for our country. He is, like me, a grumpy but woke older bloke; if he can encourage the people and the politicians to show that better side it will have an impact. We need more days like today when we can as a nation show women in leadership roles, singers lifting our hearts, black people at the heart of events, and the discipline that goes with deeply grounded tradition.