Charles III May Become Last King of United Kingdom, Expert Thinks

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK King Charles III may become the last king of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, Mikhail Myagkov, the scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society, has told Sputnik.

The reason behind that could likely be that the British society would begin to consider the "ceremonial" institution of monarchy as an expensive burden in the realms of global instability and economic crisis, Myagkov argued.

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the Kingdom for more than 70 years, died at Balmoral castle in Scotland at the age of 96. Her eldest son, Charles III, will be officially proclaimed King at 09:00 GMT on Saturday, with his wife Camilla becoming Queen Consort.

"With Europe being in crisis, and Britain having made its life even more difficult with Brexit, the institution of the monarchy may become too burdensome, and Charles III may become the last Windsor on the British throne. If the economic situation deteriorates, including due to spikes in energy prices, the British might wonder: 'Why should we spend hundreds of millions of pounds on a family of aristocrats who play no useful role in running the country?'" Myagkov said.

Myagkov noted that discussions on the necessity of preserving the dynasty that ruled the country only formally were going on while Queen Elizabeth II was still alive. Nevertheless, he said, the Queen managed to become a symbol of the nation, adding that the very fact that she ruled the country for 70 years symbolized the stability of the UK.

Alexander Zakatov, a spokesman for the House of Romanov, expressed the opposite view to Sputnik, saying that Charles III would defend the institution of the monarchy and maintain its authority.