Disney Pulled A Fast One On Florida Governor Ron DeSantis With A Clause That Involves King Charles III

As a grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump today, his GOP nemesis, Florida governor Ron De Santis is still fighting Mickey Mouse. Last month, Ron De Santis held a big press conference to rub his decision to penalize Disney for mildly opposing his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill right in the nose of their gayest character, Mr. Busy the Beaver from Lady and The Tramp. But if it seemed like Disney was being awfully blase about Ron stripping them of power over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which they’d had almost complete jurisdiction over for 50-plus years, there was a very good reason for it. According to The Guardian, Disney had an ace up their sleeve the whole time. In the days leading up to Ron’s preening announcement that there was “a new sheriff in town,” Disney and the existing Reedy Creek Governing board had quietly added a clause in their agreement that called upon a higher power; King Charles III, AKA Him? Royal Highness Charles the third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, AKA Chucky Trips.

As promised, the new board that Ron appointed met this week. Much to their dismay, they discovered that Disney and the previous board had slipped a clause in at the last minute that would allow Disney to retain control until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of this declaration.” Disney, you sly minx! In the immortal words of Mr. Busy, De Santis is “STTTTTTTHHHHHOOK!” The Guardian reports:

A dispute between the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and Disney over control of the company’s Florida theme park district hinges on a clause referencing King Charles III and his descendants.

The row began after DeSantis in March 2022 passed a “don’t say gay” law banning classroom teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. The law was highly controversial, with LGBTQ+ activists saying it was discriminatory. Joe Biden denounced it as “hateful”.

Under former chief executive Bob Chapek, Disney was initially hesitant to state public opposition to the bill, but did so after pressure. That prompted DeSantis and Florida Republicans to try to revoke privileges Disney has had for decades at its theme park, which employs 75,000 people.

However, a new governing board appointed by DeSantis on Wednesday reportedly said it will need to overturn last-minute agreements which would prevent it from taking control.

The document states that its provisions will stand until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of this declaration”.

According to The Guardian, “’Royal clauses’ of this kind are used to avoid rules in some places against contracts which last in perpetuity,” so it’s the shadiest of gotchas. Here’s a look at the clause, which is very real and very hilarious, especially when paired with Disney’s “hey, you made the rules, don’t be mad. We’re just better at the game” reply.

The clause about King Charles III is absolutely real. The agreement — from the 2/8/23 Reedy Creek board meeting — can be found on https://t.co/6ZQMDUaVME. It appears to have been posted days after @GovRonDeSantis signed the law he says was “ending the Corporate Kingdom”. 5/ pic.twitter.com/CT9hYyIr28

— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023

As for Ron, he’s issued a statement basically saying, “I’ll see you in court!” To which Disney will probably respond, sure, and the Honorable Judges Kanga and Roo will be presiding.

The office of @GovRonDeSantis just issued this statement in response to Disney’s last-minute agreement with the former Reedy Creek board. 6/ pic.twitter.com/0ADQrnXXCx

— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) March 29, 2023

Apparently, Disney and the former board chose The British royal family for this stunt “because information about the family tree was readily available,” which I presume means Original Fergie called them up and offered to go over it with them for free lifetime VIP Incredi-passes. They also chose the BRF because of the “better healthcare available to, and longer life expectancy of, a royal family member compared to a non-royal.” This begs the question; does this mean all those Disney Princes and Princesses get better treatment in the Magic Kingdom than the humble working-class beaver? If so, I really don’t know who to root for now. I mean, Ron can go kick rocks in his little Go-Go boots for all I care, but what we’re not going to do is disrespect the hard-working serfs of the Magic Kingdom. But let’s be real. All of Chuck’s descendants will have moved to America by then, and their healthcare needs will be left to the whims of Madame President Lilibet Diana anyway.

Pics: David Edwards/Media Punch/INSTARimages.com-DDP/INSTARimages