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Thirteen months after King Charles<\/strong> began his reign, writer Hugo Vickers<\/strong> has one small complaint: his majesty\u2019s oft-reported plan to see a more slimmed-down<\/a> monarchy might be unrealistic. \u201cI don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to do all the work!\u201d Vickers said in a recent interview. \u201cPeople either want celebrities or they want the royal family, and they\u2019d have a much better deal out of the royal family. I can assure you celebrities are very demanding and not very reliable.\u201d<\/p>\n For nearly half a century, the biographer and broadcaster has been a premier observer of Britain\u2019s aristocracy as it adjusted its traditions and worldviews for the modern age. In the 1970s<\/a>, he tracked down the reclusive Duchess of Marlborough in a psychiatric hospital and turned what he learned over two years of conversations into a biography, reissued in 2021 as The Sphinx: The Life of Gladys Deacon \u2013 Duchess of Marlborough<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Ever since, he has documented the royals and their orbit in their highs and lows, even seeking Prince Philip\u2019s personal recollections for a biography about his mother, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece. His relationships with courtiers and understanding of the royal family\u2019s day-to-day life have given him a unique point of view on the challenges that King Charles has faced as he ascended to the throne.<\/p>\n Along with his books, Vickers has become a lecturer who interprets the history and symbolism of the monarchy for Americans, and it\u2019s turned him into one of the institution\u2019s most committed and visible defenders. This weekend, he will be a marquee speaker at the debut edition of the Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair. Founded by Eve<\/strong> and Edward Lemon<\/strong> of Fine Book Fairs, the event will fill midtown Manhattan\u2019s St. Bartholomew\u2019s Church with over 50 exhibitors and a slate of events aimed at getting a generation of young people excited about collecting. In conversation with writer and auctioneer Nicholas Nicholson,<\/strong> Vickers will discuss his views on the future of the monarchy and the legacy of the late queen.<\/p>\n In an interview before he traveled to New York, Vickers said he knows that promoting a hereditary monarchy might seem outdated, but he\u2019s seen its benefits up close. \u201cI know it\u2019s unfashionable to promote anything being hereditary as opposed to on merit, but it does have its great advantages, because there\u2019s a humility that goes with that. The queen was tremendously aware that she wasn\u2019t there except by accident of birth,\u201d he said, adding that he thinks King Charles has taken a similar approach. \u201cI think it works very well. You wouldn\u2019t invent it, necessarily, but it\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, he is giving Charles positive marks for his performance as king, emphasizing his energy and the success of his trip to Germany in March<\/a> and France in September<\/a>. \u201cI think he\u2019s doing a good job\u2014and his two state visits abroad so far have been immensely successful,\u201d Vickers said. \u201cHe is a real workaholic. He doesn\u2019t really eat lunch. He has a big dinner in the evening, but he\u2019s at his desk most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Vickers notes that the job of monarch is time-consuming. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like being the CEO of a company. The trouble is, as you know, when you get to the top, you spend your time administering rather than doing what you necessarily want to do. You have to deal with so many problems,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s taken on a lot at this age. Suddenly the boxes are coming and he\u2019s got to get through them, and he does it.\u201d<\/p>\n But along with the busywork comes a lot of responsibility. Vickers cited one event as an example of the power a monarch must possess in order to do their job. Days after a tragic fire in Grenfell Tower<\/a> killed 72 people in June 2017, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William<\/strong> traveled to visit the survivors. \u201cWhen she went to [visit the victims], in a sense what she did was to bring with her all the other places that she\u2019d been to where there\u2019d been great tragedies, like Aberfan and Dunblane,\u201d he said. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t doing it for political purposes, she was comforting her people, her nation, if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n