Really… Was Charles the only royal available for the Westminster Ceremony?

First of all, Dickens would have HATED the whole thing.  He didn’t want any statues, public ceremonies, mass acknowledgements, or anything.  His goal was to have his work stand on its own merits – not tied down to its writer.  I was really impressed with Google’s doodle on his birthday.  They focused entirely on his works by integrating the characters into their doodle with no reference to anything from Dickens’ biography.  Well done, Google.   

Upon seeing the celebrations at Westminster Abbey, one of my first thoughts was whether Dickens have liked Prince Charles or hated him.   Would he have been pleased that Charles was the one to place the wreath or would he have wondered if Charles was just the only one available?  Would Dickens have felt insulted that Charles was the best of the royals he could get- where was William, after all?  He’s the one everybody loves. 

 

 *source BBC News – “World celebrates 200th anniversary of Dickens’ birth”

As for Charles himself, I don’t think Dickens would have thought much of his position – particularly now that the monarchy is just for show.  He didn’t think much of Victoria’s position when she was a real queen, so a “decorative” member of the monarchy would have been a joke to him.  However, he may have felt some kinship with Charles based on his personal relationships.  Charles carried on an affair with Camilla (whom I personally hate), and Dickens, of course, carried on an affair with Ellen Ternan (granted she was younger and waaayyy better looking than Camilla), but both men seemed to have followed their hears in the moment.  I’m not sure that Dickens and Prince Charles would have been BFFs, but Dickens might have had to acknowledge a gruding kinship between the two.