Former United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron responded to critics who’ve used the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to attack the monarchy, calling out a former Obama official who described Americans’ captivation with the British Royal Family as a “weakness” that yearns for a time of “hereditary privilege.”
Cameron, who had weekly audiences with the queen during his six years as prime minister between 2010 and 2016, joined “The Story” Monday for a wide-ranging interview where he discussed his personal encounters with Queen Elizabeth and offered insight into the future of the commonwealth under King Charles III.
Asked about the renewed criticism over Britain’s monarchal government, Cameron defended his country’s constitutional system, telling Fox News host Martha MacCallum that he sees tremendous value in having a head of state who is non-political.
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“Even people who are not particularly crazy about the royal family still see the monarchy as something that brings us together,” Cameron said. “That’s the most important thing, a rock of stability in difficult times.”
Cameron later addressed a comment from MSNBC analyst and former Obama official Richard Stengel, who questioned Americans’ fixation with the Royal Family over the weekend, calling it a “weakness in the American character” that yearns for a time of “hereditary privilege.”
“You have your system, we have our system,” Cameron answered pointedly. “I like ours because when we had our revolution, we didn’t get rid of the king. We decided to have a monarch who was sovereign, but parliament was our sovereignty, whereas your revolution took things further.”
Still, Cameron said he’s been struck by the outpouring of love and support he’s received from his American friends in the days since the queen’s passing.
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“Almost every American I know…texted me or e-mailed me to say we’re sorry for your loss. I think we feel huge affection for our queen and great respect for our new king,” he said. “And I think a lot of that affection is felt in the United States.”
As for the future of the monarchy, Cameron said King Charles III is a “very worthy successor” to the throne, describing him as “extremely intelligent, charming and very hardworking.”
“He has a great love for the institutions and the histories of our country and will fulfill it very well,” he said.
Amid geopolitical upheaval and tensions across the Atlantic over trade and Brexit issues, Cameron said King Charles III will serve as a “figure of unity” to Britons navigating a new prime minister and sovereign king simultaneously.
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“The politicians underneath fight it out… but the pinnacle of our system is Charles III, our new king, who is the figure of unity,” he said.
