I never met Charles, but I met some Habsburg.
He was a cousin of the king of Belgium and of the tzar of Bulgaria. He even look like the tzar!
He was related to all European monarch, including Charles.
I actually was somewhat associated with him along the business lines for several years, so I knew him very well.
And, he was complete idiot! Just stupid, idiotic, useless dude!
After that, I lost any respect to any monarch! At the best they are mediocre, at the worst they are total idiots!
> After that, I lost any respect to any monarch! At the best they are mediocre, at the worst they are total idiots! <
One problem with hereditary monarchies is that they are only as strong as the weakest link. One fool is all that’s needed to bring the whole thing crashing down.
The Prussian/German monarchy is a good example of that. Frederick the Great got the job done. As did Kaiser Wilhelm I. Kaiser Wilhelm II threw it all away.
So now the German “nobility” is nothing more than a collection of pretenders. Their titles only good for impressing the weak-minded at dinner parties.
“And, he was complete idiot! Just stupid, idiotic, useless dude!”
Just like our “monarch”, Joe Biden.