This Saturday, across the country we will celebrate the coronation of our new monarch, King Charles III. The occasion will be marked with street parties and events across Cornwall.
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning sovereign in our history, giving over seventy years of devoted service. At the age of twenty-one, she made a solemn vow to dedicate her life to the service of her country whether it be short or long, and she certainly fulfilled that pledge during her long life. King Charles takes the role later in life but had good preparation for the role of Monarch as Duke of Cornwall for many decades and I am sure will make us proud.
Cornwall has always had a special relationship with the Crown. It was the first Dukedom ever created and there is a rule of the Royal Constitution that the title of the Duke of Cornwall should pass to the eldest son of the Monarch. The moment that Charles became King, Prince William automatically became the new Duke of Cornwall, and we warmly welcomed him and the new Duchess of Cornwall to the Duchy. However, this week is about celebrating our monarch, and as we sit down with our family, friends, and neighbours to pay tribute to our new King.
Throughout his life, King Charles has passionately advocated for many causes. One of those causes is the crucial role played by rare and native breeds of farm animals in keeping alive genetic diversity in agriculture and maintaining part of our national heritage. The King has been a lifelong champion of a broad range of environmental and rural issues, and he was a patron of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust for many years. I have argued that this lifelong commitment should be recognised through a new, “Coronation Fund” providing grant support to help native breeds develop their brand and their market and to support projects concerned with the preservation of the genetic resources held within these native breeds. In this, the year of the King’s Coronation, there can be no better time to open a new scheme to deliver the objectives of the Agriculture Act and finally recognise the value of our native breeds.
The Coronation this weekend will be a reminder of the stability and continuity of the British constitution. I think our system is far superior to the presidential systems of, say, the US or France. It enables the country to unite behind a non-political Monarch while politicians come and go and because the power to govern is constitutionally held by the Crown but loaned to democratically elected governments, our system is able to elevate a huge diversity of individuals to the position of Prime Minister. In contrast, the Presidential system in the US is increasingly the preserve of those with financial means and is characterised by political dynasties which makes it harder for new people to come forward.
