Monarchy

She said she hoped Charles’ wife Camilla would be known as queen consort, and Charles took centre stage during Platinum Jubilee festivities

“Because she’s been the guiding light for the last 70-odd years.”

Currently, only 47% of 18- to 24-year-olds say Britain should continue to have a monarchy, compared with 86% of Britons aged 65 and over.

More serious than any potential loss of many largely symbolic overseas offices is the geopolitical uncertainty about Britain itself

So Britain is ruling the world, and its empire has a formidable role considering that otherwise, as George Orwell would say, it’s sort of a craggy rock where people were cooking potatoes and herring.

The King is no stranger to Northern Ireland’s political dynamics.

The New Zealand republican movement is now hoping that with the death of Queen Elizabeth II this reforming zeal can be aimed at the very heart of all sovereign power in New Zealand – the monarchy.

“She was our Queen, but she was also part of something so much bigger,” Simon said. “This is a massive shift for the country and the world.”

The country’s leaders paid tribute with messages expressing “great sorrow and a deep sense of loss”, hailing a “towering icon of selfless service to humanity” and lauding her “admirable” leadership of the Commonwealth.

The challenges facing the Commonwealth in optimising its relevance and sustaining its unity will go some way to determining whether King Charles’ reign is a success