King Charles' former adviser says he hasn't modernized the monarchy like people thought he would

• King Charles' former aide Kristina Kyriacou said he hasn't modernized the monarchy.
• Speaking to ITV News, Kyriacou said the UK needs stability during a time of financial hardship.

King Charles' former adviser Kristina Kyriacou said he isn't in a rush to modernize and reform the monarchy like people thought he would.

Speaking to ITV's royal editor Chris Ship on Thursday, Kyriacou reflected on Charles' first year as king in the lead-up to the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022.

Kyriacou served as the king's communications secretary when he was the Prince of Wales from 2018 until 2021, according to her LinkedIn profile. After leaving the royal household, she became group director of communications at McLaren Racing, best known as the constructor of Formula One cars, according to LinkedIn.

Kyriacou told Ship people initially assumed the king would be "impetus" and "anxious to change things immediately" in his new role. But this wasn't the case, she said.

"He now comes into a role where the UK in particular is going through financial hardship, and stability is needed. And one wants him to use that experience to advise younger leaders," she said.

"Which is why you think he hasn't been the big reformer, the big modernizer that many people thought he might be in this role?" Ship asked.

"I think that is completely correct," Kyriacou responded.

Nonetheless, it could be too early to speculate on what kind of monarch Charles will be, according to Shutterstock royal photographer Tim Rooke.

Rooke, who has been photographing the royal family for more than 30 years, told Insider that he believes Charles had "a really great first year as king."

"As it has been such a long time since we've had a new monarch, there was a lot of buzz around what it would be like and how the transition would go," Rooke said.

"From my perspective, it seems to have gone seamlessly. We're also of course still recovering from the impacts of the Covid pandemic, and we haven't really had a 'normal' royal year since 2019, with only one state visit so far this year to Germany," he said.

He added that things will likely be "back to normal" for the royals next year with many more overseas trips, which will give the public opportunities to see what kind of monarch the king will be.

Prince William is more likely to modernize the monarchy than Charles, Kyriacou said

Charles likely believes that Prince William, who is first in line to the British throne, will be a force for change in modernizing the monarchy, according to Kyriacou.

"The king will be thinking to himself, 'My son will be able to be more modern than I could ever be,'" Kyriacou told Ship.

William inherited Charles' former Prince of Wales title when he ascended the throne on September 8, 2022.

As Insider's Anneta Konstantinides previously reported, William has made numerous attempts in recent years to revamp his image to appear more modern. William and his wife, Kate Middleton, frequently share personal family photos on their Instagram account, and in 2021 they launched a YouTube channel, which has 658,000 subscribers as of Thursday.

It's also worth noting that William is often considered the most popular member of the British royal family. In a Statista poll conducted in June 2023, 75% of people polled said they had a positive opinion of William. The poll interviewed 2,014 people between the ages of 16 and 64 in the UK.

Princess Anne and Kate came in joint second place in the same poll, with 73% of people surveyed saying they had a positive opinion of the respective royals. The king came in third place, with 62% of those polled saying they had a positive view of His Majesty.

Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and Kristina Kyriacou did not respond to a request for comment.