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Wedding bells reignite debate of Charles or William as king
Source: Agencies |
November 22, 2010, Monday
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KING Charles or King William? Royal wedding bells have reignited the debate over whether Prince Charles should step aside to let his more popular son William be king.
Many are pushing the idea as the nation buzzes over the announcement of William's engagement to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. They argue that Charles' standing suffered irreparable harm when his marriage to Princess Diana fell apart and seamy details of his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles went public.
Others say he is, at 62, simply too old to start an effective reign after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, dies. It's more than an academic question: the queen is 84 years old, albeit in good health.
There's little question who'd win a popularity contest between the aging prince, who has alienated many Britons, and the charismatic young man who reminds many of his late mother, Diana. And Camilla, whom Charles married eight years after Diana's death, is not loved by the public, while William's fiancee, Kate Middleton, is cresting in popularity.
So perhaps it's surprising that many Britons seem to prefer to leave the line of succession as it stands.
"Why change the rules now?" said Henrietta Jones, 64, a retiree. "William has to wait his turn just like everyone before him. I think Charles really does have what it takes to be king and I think he honestly deserves it."
But she admitted a certain ambivalence about Charles and his prospects as monarch: "Honestly, he is who he is and we have to deal with that."
The support for leaving the established order in place reflects a go-slow approach to change and modernization in Britain, where reforms of traditional institutions like the House of Lords have proceeded slowly. Centuries of tradition suggest Charles should be next on the throne and his would-be subjects seem unwilling to challenge that despite his marital misadventures.
The public is less forgiving in its attitude toward Camilla. She is still seen by some as the "other woman" in the ill-fated Charles and Diana fairy tale. Charles' suggestion, made in a United States television interview broadcast on Friday, that she might one day take the title of queen - something many in Britain oppose - was front page news in the British tabloids on Saturday.
Constitutional experts like professor and author Vernon Bogdanor point out that even if Charles were extremely unpopular there is no easy way to alter the line of succession, which is not designed to bend to public opinion or respond to the whims of tabloid editors.
There is no precedent in modern British history of a would-be king stepping down or being passed over so his son could accede to the throne.
"People often talk about that possibility, but we live in a parliamentary monarchy and any arrangement to change the succession has to go through Parliament, not just in Britain, but in other parliaments, including Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and others," he said. "You can't just decide to skip a generation, it's not going to happen."
Many are pushing the idea as the nation buzzes over the announcement of William's engagement to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. They argue that Charles' standing suffered irreparable harm when his marriage to Princess Diana fell apart and seamy details of his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles went public.
Others say he is, at 62, simply too old to start an effective reign after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, dies. It's more than an academic question: the queen is 84 years old, albeit in good health.
There's little question who'd win a popularity contest between the aging prince, who has alienated many Britons, and the charismatic young man who reminds many of his late mother, Diana. And Camilla, whom Charles married eight years after Diana's death, is not loved by the public, while William's fiancee, Kate Middleton, is cresting in popularity.
So perhaps it's surprising that many Britons seem to prefer to leave the line of succession as it stands.
"Why change the rules now?" said Henrietta Jones, 64, a retiree. "William has to wait his turn just like everyone before him. I think Charles really does have what it takes to be king and I think he honestly deserves it."
But she admitted a certain ambivalence about Charles and his prospects as monarch: "Honestly, he is who he is and we have to deal with that."
The support for leaving the established order in place reflects a go-slow approach to change and modernization in Britain, where reforms of traditional institutions like the House of Lords have proceeded slowly. Centuries of tradition suggest Charles should be next on the throne and his would-be subjects seem unwilling to challenge that despite his marital misadventures.
The public is less forgiving in its attitude toward Camilla. She is still seen by some as the "other woman" in the ill-fated Charles and Diana fairy tale. Charles' suggestion, made in a United States television interview broadcast on Friday, that she might one day take the title of queen - something many in Britain oppose - was front page news in the British tabloids on Saturday.
Constitutional experts like professor and author Vernon Bogdanor point out that even if Charles were extremely unpopular there is no easy way to alter the line of succession, which is not designed to bend to public opinion or respond to the whims of tabloid editors.
There is no precedent in modern British history of a would-be king stepping down or being passed over so his son could accede to the throne.
"People often talk about that possibility, but we live in a parliamentary monarchy and any arrangement to change the succession has to go through Parliament, not just in Britain, but in other parliaments, including Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and others," he said. "You can't just decide to skip a generation, it's not going to happen."
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