Even Charles III, like his mother Elizabeth II, will be able to count on that 'hard core' of rural British, who appreciate the rural dimension of the rulers. Thanks to its environmentalism, of course. But, even more, of the severe discretion with which one lives in the country houses that makes him, in any case, a sovereign with his feet planted on the ground.

The last image of Elizabeth of England released by the Palace after her funeral

The journalist of the historic British newspaper tells us The Spectator , Charles Moore, who his cousin, Tom Oliver, who lives in rural and remote Herefordshire, less than 200,000 in the Midlands Occidentali , has always suffered from anxiety about getting sick. He has never liked being around people, but Covid-19 has amplified his fears so that, for the past 29 months, he has effectively lived in isolation in his campaign without showing any intention of seeing anyone other than his closest friends. family members. Diabetes, which is known to aggravate the symptoms of Covid, had made him even more cautious. But at the news of the death of Elizabeth II he had no doubts: he set out on a journey through chaotic and “infectious” London and he queued up with the others to pay homage to the coffin. He stood for 15 hours, never sitting down, without showing any of his discomfort and when, late at night, he finally arrived in front of the coffin he discovered that all his fears had miraculously disappeared. He was no longer afraid. God save the Queen .

The reporter from The Spectator, with a certain perfidy, he maintains that this, if Elizabeth and her country had been Catholics, could have considered Tom's 'healing' one of the two miracles necessary to start the beatification process. But more realistically he leans towards another thesis: his country cousin had challenged and overcome all his fears because Elizabeth was 'one of them'. AND, God save the King , so is Charles III. Let's clarify. There has been a lot of talk about Elizabeth's love for her her corgy about her (when asked what she missed most when she was traveling, she replied: 'the dogs') and of their homage to the coffin (in general they are anything but quiet animals). The same goes for the horses: it is said that, to the valet who asked her if she was nervous at the time of getting into the carriage for the coronation, she replied yes, 'Of course I'm nervous. But I'm sure Aureole will win ». She was referring to a horse of hers and her racing. However, much less has been said about her being a 'countrywoman'. The point is that saying 'country woman', in Italian, does not have the same effect at all. A question of cultures: in Great Britain it is a pride. With us, until recently, if you wanted to offend someone and call him naive, you asked him if he came from the countryside. Even if you didn't mean to offend him: Renato Pozzetto on his super-naïve “Country Boy” he built us an over ten-year success: the film is from 1984 and still has legions of fans.

In the UK, no. There is no need to quote Downton Abbey to understand how living in seclusion among the cultivated fields is by no means a sign of poverty or marginalization. There is not even a need to have a centuries-old home. It is enough to drive around the endless English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish countryside to understand with what pride the traditions and ways of life are kept alive. Elisabetta undoubtedly liked more living in Balmoral . And it is not (only) to cement the bond with Scotland (or remove, at least for a while, its plans for secession) that he has decided to die in that gloomy castle. To almost none of us it would seem the ideal destination for summer holidays. But for her, rain or no rain, it was the place for horseback riding, for barbecues, for walks. And above all of the loosening of the strict rules of the court.

Of course, things have also changed in Great Britain and, for example, in the last six prime ministers, only David Cameron can be defined as a countryman or a 'country mouse', a country mouse, as the British still say, following the ancient fable of Aesop of the country mouse and the city mouse. The consolation, for the 'hard core' of rural Britons, is that Charles III he is even more rural than his mother. Indeed, he defends the rural dimension with a fervor completely foreign to his mother. Thanks to its environmentalism, of course. But, even more, of that love for 'the smell of grass' and the severe discretion with which one lives in the country houses that makes him, in any case, a sovereign with his feet planted on the ground.

Source: oggi.it