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Convinced republican that I am, and foe of the prince who talks to plants and wants to be crowned "head of all faiths" as well as the etiolated Church of England, I find myself pierced by a pang of sympathy. Not much of a life, is it, growing old and stale with no real job except waiting for the news of Mummy's death? Some British people claim actually to "love" their rather dumpy Hanoverian ruling house. This love takes the macabre form of demanding a regular human sacrifice whereby unexceptional people are condemned to lead wholly artificial and strained existences, and then punished or humiliated when they crack up.

— Christopher Hitchens

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Convinced republican that I am, and foe of the prince who talks to plants and wants to be crowned "head of all faiths" as well as the etiolated Church of England, I find myself pierced by a pang of sympathy. Not much of a life, is it, growing old and stale with no real job except waiting for the news of Mummy's death? Some British people claim actually to "love" their rather dumpy Hanoverian ruling house. This love takes the macabre form of demanding a regular human sacrifice whereby unexceptional people are condemned to lead wholly artificial and strained existences, and then punished or humiliated when they crack up." in the context of "Christopher Hitchens, "Beware the In-Laws: Does Kate Middleton really want to marry into a family like this?", Slate (18 April 2011)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Charles III" (Quotes about Charles III: Listed in alphabetical order by author or source.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles III

About Charles III

Charles III (born 14 November, 1948) is the King of the United Kingdom. The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, he succeeded to the throne on 8 September 2022. As well as the United Kingdom, he is the monarch of the other 14 Commonwealth Realms. While serving as the Prince of Wales, he was known for his extensive charity work, particularly for the Prince's Trust and was formerly married to Diana, Princess of Wales; the couple had two sons during their marriage, Prince William of Wales (now the King's heir) and Prince Henry of Wales. He is now married to Camilla, Queen Consort; his private life has been extensively reported in the press.