As the longest-serving king-in-waiting in British history, Prince Charless appetite to be the monarch may be declining, sources have suggested.
LONDON: As the longest-serving king-in-waiting in British history, Prince Charless appetite to be the monarch may be declining, sources have suggested.
The Prince of Wales had voiced his anxiety that he might never be king five years ago, following the death of the Queen Mother at the age of 101.
With Charles becoming the first Prince of Wales to reach the age of 60 without becoming monarch, pressure will mount on the royal family to skip a generation in anointing the next monarch. Prince William and Prince Harry, shielded from constant scrutiny by their careers in the military, are the most popular members of the royalty after the Queen.
While his close friends and family will toast his good health, and the Queen's, on Charles 60th birthday this Friday, they too will wonder if he will ever fulfil his destiny.
As King Charles III, he would be required to stick to his role as a non-political figurehead. So would he really want to become a "Grey King" out of touch and unable to voice his opinions.
Senior sources believe Charles's appetite to be King may be declining because of his drive to "make a difference". He is passionate about issues such as the need for organic food, alternative medicine and, of course, global warming.
He has slammed political correctness, the Human Rights Act for inspiring the blame culture, plus various government policies on education, Britains inner cities and the countryside.
"Lets be honest, the prince can be far more outspoken and achieve far more as the heir to the throne than if he was King," one former royal aide was quoted as saying by the News of the World newspaper. So it might turn out that, after all the years of waiting to be king, Charles decides he is happy just as he is.
As Charles says of his duties over the years as King- in-waiting: "I was sent off to do these so-called ordinary things, and they cant really expect me, having done all that, not to get stuck in to all the things I mind about.
Even as the monarch, Charles cannot expect to be on the throne for long. He will undoubtedly be a transitionary monarch at best.
According to the British daily, sources close to him now increasingly believe his legacy is as the most forward-thinking Prince of Wales in history not as a "Grey King" for just a few years.
In the given circumstances, constitutional experts say Charles could sign an Act of Renunciation once he had the government's backing.
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