I STILL can’t get used to saying “The King” when referring to the Monarch.
For so long he was Prince Charles, Prince of Wales or, for those of us in Cornwall, he was the Duke of Cornwall.
Yet here we are just a few days away from him being crowned King Charles.
I am struggling even more with the fact that when “The Queen” is mentioned it is now Camilla and not Queen Elizabeth the Second.
It is almost eight months since the late Queen died but it already feels much longer.
I find it strange that someone who loomed so large in public life for so long has seemingly become a historic figure so quickly.
I occasionally see news stories about Queen Elizabeth accompanied by the last picture of her taken at Balmoral back in September, and for a brief moment I almost forget she is no longer with us.
That’s the thing about a constitutional monarchy; there’s no hanging about selecting a candidate, then running the process of an election.
The next in line instantly takes over and the whole show keeps going with just the briefest pause for a farewell to the previous incumbent.
For many that’s its strength. No messing about. No arguing about who should take over. No chance for anyone to interfere with the process. Continuity is the key. Job done!
But for others, this is a watershed moment in more ways than one.
It’s noticeable that protestors sometimes confront The King when he is out in public. They wave placards and shout: “Not my King”.
There has always been a hard core of republicans who believe we should have an elected head of state. But they rarely, if ever, shouted at the late Queen when she was on a walkabout.
However, the change of Monarch has prompted a change of mood. The protestors seem to see King Charles as fair game.
I can’t quite make up my mind what the general feeling is about the new reign. I maybe wrong but I detect some indifference.
This isn’t based on any scientific survey, just a feeling that there isn’t yet the excitement that is usually building in the days leading up to a major Royal event.
Perhaps the bunting will be out by the weekend and perhaps I haven’t been out and about enough to see what communities are planning.
We did go for a family walk at Cotehele last weekend and on the way there I spotted some lovely Coronation artwork on the bus shelter in nearby St Dominic.
Otherwise, I haven’t seen much in the way of public celebration so far.
As I say, I could be wrong and as we get closer to the big day things will ramp up.
Perhaps it’s also a generational thing. I was brought up to have a great deal of respect and affection for the late Queen.
Elderly relatives, who’d witnessed the Royals leading the nation in the war, were huge fans of Her Majesty.
They avidly followed the ups and downs of the Royal Family and collected all the souvenirs of the big state occasions.
Some of that rubbed off on me as a child, helped I think by catching a glimpse of the Queen during a Silver Jubilee visit to Truro when I was seven and receiving a commemorative mug which I have still got somewhere.
As schoolchildren growing up in Cornwall, the Queen seemed a very distant figure up in that there London!
Impressionable
So to have her visit our home city was a huge moment in the minds of impressionable youngsters.
Now, in this digital world of instant celebrities who become famous just for having an online following, the Royal Family must seem very old fashioned as far as younger people are concerned.
We tried to get our teenager to watch some of the jubilee celebrations last year without any success.
The Queen’s sketch with Paddington was the only moment that got a brief flicker of interest.
The recent scandals and rows haven’t helped.
On the one hand it shows that the Royal Family is just like any other family, but on the other hand we don’t want them to be like any other family. They’re supposed to be “special”.
The tittle tattle over whether Prince Harry will be coming to the Coronation and where he might sit, has once again turned the Royal Family into a bit of a soap opera.
Speculation over how awkward it will be for Harry to spend time with his family after the publication of his memoirs is in danger of overshadowing what should be a serious state occasion.
Then there’s the gossip over the pecking order and who will get to stand on the balcony and what to do about Prince Andrew.
It will be interesting to see how The King responds to changing attitudes. A new reign is a new slate; it’s a chance to do things differently. It’s a fine line though between modernising for the future and maintaining historic traditions.
It’s also a tricky balancing act to try to be less formal to appeal to younger people, whilst also remaining regal.
I have been lucky enough to meet some of the Royal Family when I was working on BBC Spotlight. Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, came to officially open our new studios.
Beforehand there was a great deal of nervousness and an awful lot of fuss about rules and regulations.
Who should be introduced to her and how we should respond? Do we bow and curtsy? Should we offer a handshake or wait to be offered one?
You won’t be surprised to learn that on the day she didn’t stand on ceremony and was warm and friendly and genuinely interested in what we did.
It helped that she knew who we were as she often watches Spotlight when visiting family in Devon.
It was the same when I interviewed the then Countess of Wessex, now Duchess of Edinburgh. She was also relaxed and very down to earth.
That approach may win over young people eventually, but I think the Royal Family will have to work ever harder to maintain support from future generations.
Support, affection and even love for the late Queen were almost guaranteed, I am not so sure that can be assumed in the future.
In the meantime I will be watching the Coronation along with millions of others and I am sure there will be plenty of celebrations to mark this historic moment.
There’s nothing we like more as a nation than the spectacle of a pageant showing the best of British.
Let’s face it, nobody does it better and perhaps that’s thanks in part to the Monarchy.
Bye for now.