Americans think King Charles will lose key territory

On American TV networks our late monarch Queen Elizabeth II has often been referred to as the “Queen of England’ during coverage of her Diamond Jubilee and even her funeral. The Scots will tell you that she should have been called Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland. From their perspective, they are right because the last English Queen to bear that name was the Tudor’s Virgin Queen herself, Elizabeth 1st of England. Now it’s happening to King Charles too. And it’s a pet hate of mine. Once and for all he is NOT just the King of England. Charles III is the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as well as 14 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. England, which subsumed Wales in the 16th century under Henry VIII, united with Scotland in 1707 to form a new sovereign state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So, at the very least he is the King of the UK for short. American commentators are completely wrong about the Commonwealth’s future (Image: Getty) While we are on the subject of the Commonwealth , it is NOT about to collapse due to Caribbean Island countries wanting to ditch the monarchy and become republics, like Barbados did in 2021. Officials in at least six Caribbean countries where Charles is head of state, such as Jamaica, have signaled they intend to remove the monarch as their sovereign. But this does not mean they want to abandon the Commonwealth. Far from it. This voluntary association of 56 independent countries goes from strength to strength and what’s more ALL its members have an equal voice at the table. Barbados, just for the sake of accuracy, is also still a member too. Charles, who represented the Queen at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda is heading to Samoa in October next year for the next one. I understand The King, accompanied by Queen Camilla will also visit Australia and New Zealand on an extended tour of the region. They are also planning to take in Fiji on the same extended tour. Charles will then be heading to Kenya for a Commonwealth visit, the place where his mother the late Queen became monarch. King Charles is not about to lose the Commonwealth any time soon (Image: Getty) The Queen Mother’s hot dog hell When researching the so-called “special relationship” ahead of President Biden’s visit to the UK last week, I stumbled across a couple of hilarious stories about the late Queen Mother and former American Presidents. Her husband King George VI was the first reigning monarch to visit the US in 1939 on the eve of World War II breaking out in Europe. At a picnic hosted by FDR and his wife Eleanor, the American menu proved somewhat challenging. While the King enthusiastically tucked into a hot dog and supped his beer, the Queen, later Queen Mother, asked FDR: “How do you eat this?” She ignored his advice to grab and go and used a knife and fork instead. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter left the Queen Mother furious by greeting her with a kiss on the lips when they first met. “I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough,” she said indignantly. “He’s the only man, since my dear husband died, to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips.” Robert Jobson is a royal expert who regularly appears on live television news bulletins and in historical documentaries. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including his recent biography – ” Our King: Charles III – The Man and the Monarch Revealed ‘ which was a Sunday Times bestseller.