But his arrival on the throne, at the age of 73 and after seven decades of his mother’s reign, raises many questions about the future of the institution, the country and its relationship to the world: how is the monarch he face the independence aspirations of certain territories such as Scotland or some of those that make up the Commonwealth? How will he achieve the image of stability and continuity that his mother gave to the United Kingdom, outside and inside the country, thanks above all to his neutrality and his discretion?

1. Commonwealth Survival

Among the challenges that the new king will have to face, the most uncertain is that of the survival of an important Commonwealth. Currently, the organization is made up of 14 former British colonies and protectorates, independent and semi-independent, but which respect the figure of the monarch.

It’s hard to imagine Australia, Canada and New Zealand keeping an English monarch as head of state for more than decades.

2. Scottish independence

The most important national challenge for Charles III is to prevent the independence of Scotland, even if it does not depend only on him. Hostile mannerisms might encourage separation, but the 2014 referendum already provided for independence with Elizabeth II leading the new state.

Despite the fact that thousands of people waited hours to see the Queen’s coffin arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, and the proclamation of Charles as King, there is a strong Republican bent in Scotland.

According to polls, 49% of Scots would support independence against 51% who would reject it. However, republic and independence do not mix well, and currently, 42% think that the monarchy is good for the country against only 22% who consider it bad.

The key to Scotland’s new relationship with Charles III may lie in how the monarch acts and what he says, and whether he maintains political neutrality, like his predecessor.

3. Understated styling

One of the king’s biggest challenges is to fight against his propensity to express his own opinions (he has already promised to renounce his “activism”), to become the mortar of a society which, like all the others, increasingly polarized.

One of the successes of Isabella II was to go very unnoticed in politics. He was very careful with every word he said and, in fact, we don’t really know his opinion on public matters.

Charles of England, however, repeatedly spoke out on issues such as climate change or social inequality – far from his mother’s neutrality – perhaps because he was not the monarch and didn’t have to. To the difficulty of obtaining it is added the paradox that the neutrality required by the post can prevent it from continuing to promote causes which would bring it closer to the younger generations.

4. Approach to the “commons”

The other personal challenge for Carlos III is to get closer to the “commons”, a complicated thing given his education in privilege and in the context of English classism.

We saw him during the proclamation ceremony, held at St. James’s Palace, when signing his appointment, he motioned for one of his assistants to remove one of the inkwells. The moment has gone viral on social media and has been called elitist, and, from what we can predict, it won’t be the only such gesture in his tenure.

5. Stability reference

Basically, and to meet all the above challenges, Carlos III must aspire to become, as his mother did, a benchmark of stability, in a world currently in political and economic turmoil, with a Brexit that further amplifies more difficulties.

The discretion of Isabella II gave continuity to the country and was the anchor in the moments of greatest success and also in those of greatest economic and political crisis. With a much shorter reign, it will be necessary to see if Carlos III manages to ensure this stability.

Although the new king has improved his image in recent years, he does not have the affection that Elizabeth II, a consensus figure and respected by most Britons, deserved.

Carlos III conveys a little more solidity than when he was a prince and his initial speech is hopeful, but we will have to wait to see if he really follows his mother’s example.