Maybe not. Last year, the Guardian reported that Charles was planning to reinvent the throne if he ever got to sit on it.
“Prince Charles is ready to reshape the monarch’s role when he becomes king and make ‘heartfelt interventions’ in national life in contrast to the Queen’s taciturn discretion on public affairs, his allies have said,†the paper wrote. “In signs of an emerging strategy that could risk carrying over the controversy about his alleged meddling in politics into his kingship, sources close to the heir say he is set to continue to express concerns and ask questions about issues that matter to him, such as the future of farming and the environment, partly because he believes he has a duty to relay public opinion to those in power.â€
Indeed, the release of the “black spider memos†— correspondence from the prince, known for his trademark scrawl — in May revealed exchanges with Tony Blair, among other political figures, some thought meddling. If Charles is supposed to be a figurehead, he might not be that good at playing statue.
For the prince, holding his tongue might not be the biggest problem. A more difficult question: Does the public still want him? Some Britishers seem to prefer a younger, sexier monarch.
“While seven in ten Britons think Britain should remain a monarchy, many British people still believe Prince Charles should make way for Prince William as the next monarch,†Tom Sykes of the Daily Beast wrote in “King Charles: The Monarch Nobody Wants.†“40% of Britons say Prince Charles should give up his right to be the next king in favor of his son.â€
Abdication, however, is complicated. Theoretically, Elizabeth could give up the throne anytime, perhaps easing the transition for Charles. But only one British monarch — Elizabeth’s uncle Edward, in 1936 — has stepped down, and rumors of abdication in the past have proven groundless.
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