History Theatre / KingCharlesIII

* RebelPrince: Prince Harry.

* RulingCouple: Invoked by Prince William and Kate. Playing up this image is part of the reason they have a HundredPercentAdorationRating.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Prince William and Kate argue that their nigh-universal popularity makes them better suited to monarchy than Charles, and indeed the only members of the royal family who can undo the damage Charles has caused to their reputation and royal brand.

** King Charles will do everything in his power to preserve democracy (and especially freedom of the press), up to and including the dissolution of Parliament after they pass a bill for the statutory regulation of the press. He sees it as [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething his royal duty]] [[DivineRightOfKings and god-given responsibility]] to course-correct when (in his opinion) the House of Lords and House of Commons overextends their authority, even if it means throwing out the entire democratically elected government.
** It's also made clear that William and Kate are taking an extreme position in "saving" the institution of monarchy at the cost of [[spoiler: forcing Charles to abdicate and signing off on the press regulation bill]]. They're setting the precedent of [[PenPushingPresident the monarchy as a powerless figurehead]] instead of an active participant in the governing process.

** It's also made clear that William and Kate are taking an extreme position in saving the monarchy at the cost of [[spoiler: forcing Charles to abdicate and signing off on the press regulation bill]], setting the precedent of [[PenPushingPresident the monarchy as a figurehead]] instead of the an active participant in the governing process.

* HollywoodLaw: When Charles refuses to grant assent to the Media Regulation Bill, the Prime Minister retaliates by proposing a bill to strip the Crown of its power to grant assent to any bill, which in normal constitutional circumstances can't make much progress in Parliament without [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Consent King's Consent]] since it affects the Royal prerogative.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: The characterization of Prince Harry in the work leans into this trope. Disillusioned with his role in the royal family and upset by the turmoil surrounding his father's confrontation with the government and the press, he finds solace in his relationship with the opinionated and headstrong Jess. Harry starts to believe that he'll be happy if he puts the royal life behind him, even planning to give up his title and settles down with Jess. [[spoiler: By the end of the show he's unhappily committed himself to supporting William in upholding the monarchy.]]

''King Charles III'' is a play by Mike Bartlett. Premiering in 2014, the dialogue is notable for being written entirely in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse blank verse]] iambic pentameter, leaning on the tradition of Shakespeare's history plays (it's even billed as a "future history"). The narrative [[RealPersonFic follows the royal family]] through the three months between the death of [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Queen Elizabeth II]] and the coronation of the next in line for the throne: her son, King [[UsefulNotes/CharlesIII]].

''King Charles III'' is a play by Mike Bartlett. Premiering in 2014, the dialogue is notable for being written entirely in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse blank verse]] iambic pentameter, leaning on the tradition of Shakespeare's history plays (it's even billed as a "future history"). The narrative [[RealPersonFic follows the royal family]] through the three months between the death of [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Queen Elizabeth II]] and the coronation of the next in line for the throne: her son, [[UsefulNotes/CharlesIII Prince Charles of Wales]].

Eager to exercise his royal duties, Prince Charles clashes almost immediately with Prime Minister Evans over a new bill for the statutory regulation of the press - the Prime Minister is for it, while Prince Charles wants the Parliament to reconsider what effects the bill will have on freedom of speech. Prince Charles' refusal to sign the bill into law creates a schism between the elected officials of the government and the hereditary rule of the royal family which threatens to tear even the United Kingdom apart. Complicating matters are Prince Harry's budding relationship with an opinionated Republican and Prince William's bid to rehabilitate the House of Windsor's reputation at any cost.

Throughout the show the characters of Prince Charles, Prince William, Duchess Kate, and Prince Harry [[BreakingTheFourthWall make asides to the audience]] about their roles in the royal family, the institution of monarchy, the legacy they'll be leaving for future generations, and the nature of government. All must choose how they wish to see the traditions of the monarchy continued in the British Isles, and then convince the others that their course of action is the best.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Prince William and Duchess Kate argue that their nigh-universal popularity makes them better suited to monarchy than Prince Charles, and indeed the only members of the royal family who can undo the damage Charles has caused to their reputation and royal brand.
* AbdicateTheThrone: The second half of the play sees various forces trying to get Prince Charles to abdicate before his official coronation. [[spoiler: He does, when faced with the combined prospect of his sons publicly disavowing him and cutting off all contact with his grandchildren, and with Parliament stripping away the minuscule sliver of executive power left to the monarchy.]]
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Subverted [[spoiler: when Prince Charles hijacks the coronation by snatching the crown from the Bishop's hands. He ultimately places it on Prince William's head, but not before some scathing commentary.]]
* BalconySpeech: Attempted by Prince Charles when the crowd of protesters surround Buckingham Palace. He even has a megaphone, but no one can hear him over the noise generated by the angry dissenters.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Done periodically by Prince Charles, Prince William, Duchess Kate, and Prince Harry. They address the audience with their thoughts on the nature of government, the institution of monarchy, their role in the royal family, and the kind of legacy the'll be leaving for their children and future rulers.
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:Prince William does this to Prince Charles when he ''strongly suggests'' that Charles abdicate, confronting Charles over the damage he's caused to the institution of British monarchy on both the political and popular fronts.]]
* CoolCrown: Subverted during the coronation [[spoiler: when Prince Charles grabs it out of the Bishop's hands. He remarks on how heavy it is, before turning it over and revealing the empty interior, claiming it is "nothing."]]

* DivineRightOfKings: Prince Charles argues that he was born and raised to rule the country -- that monarchy and authority are an intrinsic part of his being. He claims that as the king he is answerable to all citizens of the United Kingdom (as opposed to the members of the Parliament, who are answerable only to their constituents).

** Attempted by Prince Charles when he moves to dismiss the members of Parliament - he's wearing a very large ermine cape, combined with crown & scepter.

* PosthumousCharacter: ZigZagged -- the specter of Princess Diana appears to both Prince Charles and Prince William, promising each that he will become "the greatest king of all". It is left ambiguous as to whether this is ''actually'' the ghost of Diana, or if the pressure of upholding the royal family's image and maintaining their sliver of political power has driven one or both men to hallucinate the apparition and Diana and the woman's approval to soothe their conscience.

** The roster of characters includes: Charles, Prince of Wales (as King Charles III), Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Henry "Harry" of Wales, Catherine "Kate" the Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall.
** Also included: the ghost of Diana Princess of Wales and mentions of both [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Queen Elizabeth II]] (posthumously) and Prince George.

* RoyalDecree: Prince Charles' refusal to sign the bill could be seen as this - he even puts his royal stamp on the refusal and has his underbutler personally deliver it to Downing St.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Following the death of UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, Prince Charles wants the monarchy to take a more active role in government. The government wants him to be a PenPushingPresident and stay out of their affairs.
* RulingCouple: Invoked by Prince William and Duchess Kate. Playing up this image is part of the reason they have a HundredPercentAdorationRating.
* SleazyPolitician: Stevens, the Leader of the Opposition. He says one thing to Prince Charles in private meetings and another in Parliament. Also mentioned to be personally acquainted with members of the press who would be affected by the passage of the media regulation bill.

** Prince William and Duchess Kate went on to have more children after the birth of Prince George (who does not make an appearance in the show, but who is mentioned as a factor in William and Kate's popularity). Their daughter, Princess Charlotte, was born in 2015. Their second son, Prince Louis, was born in 2018.

** Prince Charles will do everything in his power to preserve democracy (and especially freedom of the press), up to and including the dissolution of Parliament after they pass a bill for the statutory regulation of the press. He sees it as [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething his royal duty]] [[DivineRightOfKings and god-given responsibility]] to course-correct when (in his opinion) the House of Lords and House of Commons overextends their authority, even if it means throwing out the entire democratically elected government.

%%* PosthumousCharacter: ZigZagged -- the specter of Princess Diana appears to both Prince Charles and Prince William, promising each that he will become "the greatest king of all". It's not made clear whether this is actually the ghost of Diana or if the pressure of upholding the royal family's image and maintaining their sliver of political power has driven both men to hallucinate the apparition and Diana's approval to soothe their consciences.

** In 2016, Prince Harry began dating American actress Creator/MeghanMarkle. The two would go on to marry in 2018, and later to have a son, Archie.

Eager to exercise his royal duties, Prince Charles clashes almost immediately with Prime Minister Evans over a new bill for the statutory regulation of the press - the Prime Minister is for it, while Prince Charles wants the Parliament to reconsider what effects the bill will have on freedom of speech. Prince Charles' refusal to sign the bill into law creates a schism between the elected officials of the government and the hereditary rule of the royal family which threatens to tear even the United Kingdom apart. Complicating matters is Prince Harry's budding relationship with an opinionated Republican.

* MeaningfulName: The title -- Charles's regnal name -- clearly calls back to the reigns of Charles I and Charles II, both of whom historically clashed with Parliament over who got to rule between the authority of elected officials versus the divine right of kings. Charles I lost his head over the issue, Charles II arguably prevailed in the short term but merely delayed the inevitable in the long term, [[spoiler: and Charles III falls somewhere in between, being forced to abdicate]]. Prior to 2022, some royal observers speculated that Prince Charles would adopt a different regnal name (he had the choice of "Charles," "Philip," "Arthur," or "George") precisely to avoid these UnfortunateImplications -- but as this is fiction a certain amount of artistic license holds. .

''King Charles III'' is a play by Mike Bartlett. Premiering in 2014, the dialogue is notable for being written entirely in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse blank verse]] iambic pentameter, leaning on the tradition of Shakespeare's history plays (it's even billed as a "future history"). The narrative [[RealPersonFic follows the royal family]] through the three months between the death of [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Queen Elizabeth II]] and the coronation of the next in line for the throne: her son, Prince Charles of Wales.

* MeaningfulName: The title -- Charles's regnal name -- clearly calls back to the reigns of Charles I and Charles II, both of whom historically clashed with Parliament over who got to rule between the authority of elected officials versus the divine right of kings. Charles I lost his head over the issue, Charles II arguably prevailed in the short term but merely delayed the inevitable in the long term, [[spoiler: and Charles III falls somewhere in between, being forced to abdicate]]. In reality, many royal observers have speculated that Prince Charles actually intends to adopt a different regnal name precisely to avoid these UnfortunateImplications, but as this is fiction a certain amount of artistic license holds. .

[[caption-width-right:230:[[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen The Queen]] is dead.\\

''King Charles III'' is a play by Mike Bartlett. Premiering in 2014, the dialogue is notable for being written entirely in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse blank verse]] iambic pentameter, leaning on the tradition of Shakespeare's history plays (it's even billed as a "future history"). The narrative [[RealPersonFic follows the royal family]] through the three months between the death of [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth II]] and the coronation of the next in line for the throne: her son, Prince Charles of Wales.

Note, the real-life UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen was alive and well at the age of 88 when the play premiered in 2014, and lived a further 8 years until her death in 2022. Due to TimeMarchesOn, the play has become somewhat OutdatedByCanon.

** Also included: the ghost of Diana Princess of Wales and mentions of both [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth II]] (posthumously) and Prince George.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Following the death of UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen, Prince Charles wants the monarchy to take a more active role in government. The government wants him to be a PenPushingPresident and stay out of their affairs.

** Queen Elizabeth lived a further 8 years after the play's premiere, dying at the age of 96 in 2022.

Throughout the show, Prince Charles, Prince William, Duchess Kate, and Prince Harry [[BreakingTheFourthWall make asides to the audience]] about their roles in the royal family, the institution of monarchy, the legacy they'll be leaving for future generations, and the nature of government. All must choose how they wish to see the traditions of the monarchy continued in the British Isles, and then convince the others that their course of action is the best.

Please note that at the time of publishing, UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen is still alive and well.[[note]]She was 88 years old at the time of publication in 2014, and 96 years old as of 2022.[[/note]] The play is merely speculation. And due to TimeMarchesOn, the play has become somewhat OutdatedByCanon.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Prince Charles will do everything in his power to preserve democracy and especially freedom of the press, up to and including the dissolution of Parliament. It's clear that William and Kate are this in forcing Charles to abdicate, but it's clear that he will ''never'' speak to (or of) them again and hates their very existences.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 2022, Bartlett would write another speculative fiction play in Iambic Pentameter, ''Theatre/The47th'', this time with a focus on American politics.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 2022, Bartlett would write another speculative fiction play in Iambic Pentameter, ''[[Theatre/TheFourtySeventh The 47th]]'', this time with a focus on American politics.

Please note that at the time of publishing, UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen is still alive and well.[[note]]She was 88 years old at the time of publication in 2014, and 95 years old as of 2021.[[/note]] The play is merely speculation. And due to TimeMarchesOn, the play has become somewhat OutdatedByCanon.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 2022, Bartlett would write another speculative fiction play in Iambic Pentameter, ''[[Theatre/TheFortySeventh The 47th]]'', this time with a focus on American politics.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Prince Harry's character has got shades of this. He starts to believe that he'll be happy if he gives up his title and settles down with Jess, [[spoiler: but by the end of the show he's unhappily committed himself to supporting William in upholding the monarchy.]]

Please note that at the time of publishing, UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen is still alive and well[[note]]She was 88 at the time of publication and is ninety five as of 2021.[[/note]]. The play is merely speculation. And due to TimeMarchesOn, the play has become somewhat OutdatedByCanon.