This week Charles III will be crowned King at his coronation and all eyes will be focussed on him. All ears will be turned towards him, too, as he swears oaths to uphold laws and governance. As the new monarch, however, it is interesting to note that as King, his voice will be less heard than when he was Prince Charles. As King, Charles III is restricted in allowing us all to hear what he is thinking, instead, we will be hearing the formal speech at State occasions and the yearly Christmas address to the nation.

As Charles grew up, the accent he heard almost exclusively was Queen’s English. Queen Elizabeth II spoke Queen’s English, the accent of nobility and the upper classes, which was naturally adopted by her children. An accent is predominantly the way we form our vowel sounds, coupled with the patterns of speech together with a good sprinkle of attitude. Queen’s English and King’s English is also referred to as ‘Received Pronunciation’ or RP.

Charles III was known to be a shy, softly spoken boy and young man, who disliked his school days at boarding school, preferring nature and the countryside. Prince Charles’ accent was upper class, but his words were quiet and softly spoken, frequently clustering together in groups then rushing to leave his mouth in each others’ company, not waiting for the next group of words. This led to long pauses or hesitations in his speech. This speech pattern has persisted in some ways into his adulthood and older age, as King Charles III is still quietly spoken and has a tendency to ‘mumble’, although his words command attention and respect.

Queen’s English has now presumably become known as King’s English, the language of the elite and the upper classes. However, the King’s heir, Prince William, speaks in a much more modern way, his pronunciation of his vowels sometimes quite different from his father’s. There is still some of the diffidence and hesitation that is quite like his father’s voice pattern, however, as well as a tendency to run words together, so they can also come out in a ‘stream’ and be a little difficult to unravel.

In days gone by, the ‘BBC accent’ was also synonymous with Queen’s English, but in 2023, with King Charles III on the throne and much more social mobility in the employment market, the ‘BBC accent’ has changed dramatically and is more difficult to categorise than formerly.

Voices heard on BBC Radio Four news, current events and political programmes represent people from many different backgrounds in this era. Respected news journalists like BBC’s political editor Chris Mason from North Yorkshire and BBC Radio Four’s Today programme presenters Amol Rajan, state-educated in London and Sean Farrington, from Wolverhampton all have regional accents. Today’s BBC accents comprise a wide variety of regional accents and are no longer exclusively Queen’s English or RP, yet the accents are not King’s English either.

Received pronunciation has historically been synonymous with the accent of the English nobility in the 20th century. As we glide towards the first quarter of the 21st century, the UK is becoming more multicultural and diverse in the workplace and in culture which is enabling more accents to be heard and accepted in hitherto strongholds of RP. Strong London, West Midlands, Geordie, Scouse and West Country accents, for example are commonplace among high-achieving individuals. By association with these high-achievers, accents are becoming less of a ‘barrier to entry’ to career paths.

However, I would suggest that as always, clarity in communication is key. Where there is a strong desire to put forward an idea, a point of view or an opinion, the voice carries the thoughts to the listener and most important is the core message, unobscured by accent, mumbling or softness.

Accent changes in every generation, but the important thing to remember – when speaking is a key part of your life – is speak clearly, connect with your thoughts and let your breath carry the message. Words of advice to everyone who uses their voice as a professional speaker, including every member of the Royal Family: think about what you want to say, take your time and enjoy communicating with your listeners.

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