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Poor Charles

Jul 18, 2011 | 8:03 AM

for paNOW

Why do some many dislike Charles, Prince of Wales, to the extent that they don’t want him to become king? Diana is a part. Camilla is a part. His not so nice divorce is a part. His being from a dysfunctional family which shouldn’t be dysfunctional as they are seen to be representative of all British families is a part. So is what is seen by some to be his limited intellect and chronic foot in mouth disease.

William is seen as young, bright, genial and outgoing. He has a job and he lives more frugally than many rich young men – and his father. His wedding to Kate was simple and inexpensive compared to other royal weddings that ended in divorce. Heavens! The couple do their own cooking and wash their own dishes. They tie their own shoes.

Very few of the previous monarchs have been seen as mental giants from our point of view. What did they appear like to their subjects, the vast majority of whom never saw their monarch – or so they devotedly hoped. Monarchs in those days were all-powerful and a mite touchy. The wrong word could be terminal.

William is the first future ruler with a university degree he earned through study and hard work.

Technology has put the current royals under a spotlight, a microscope and a zillion cameras. Not all servants believe they shouldn’t write a book, and if it doesn’t provide lots of dirty royal laundry, it won’t ever, ever, ever be published.

We see the royal shortcomings before they do, simply by clicking a tv channel button. We know or can soon find out everything about Charles on the news or internet. Did you know for instance that he has seven boiled eggs placed before him after he has been hunting? If one is too runny, he simply moves on to the next. How trivial is that?

Even if you are anti-monarchy, the fact is that the Queen is respected for her dignity, her devotion, her hard work and her failure to run screaming from the demand to cut one more ribbon. It is highly unlikely she will be deposed, but what will happen when she dies? In that instant, Charles becomes king. There is only one sentence: The Queen is dead; long live the King. That’s the way it is going to be.

Some wonder if she will step down before she dies. Since she sees her vow as monarch was made to God, it isn’t the least bit likely. The only way the Queen might step down is if she were very ill and not likely to recover. However, until she died, Charles would be regent, not king. He would do the work of the monarch but not be the monarch, however the world may feel about him.

It is virtually impossible to get rid of a monarchy but you yourself could potentially be a monarch!

Albania advertised in the London Evening News, in 1923, for an Englishman to be king of Albania. Aubrey Herbert got the job and proved to be an exceptional king.

It is interesting that the stable countries in Europe are monarchies and most of the unstable are republics.

Monarchs have no power so maybe Charles won’t be so bad. He can cut ribbons with the best of them!