Prince Charles is next in line for the throne, but many people are not excited by the thought
of him becoming king. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took the throne in 1952, and, if she holds
onto it for another two and a half years, she will earn the title of the longest-reigning
sovereign ever. While she is 95 years old, it's not a far-fetched scenario considering
that her mother lived to be 101.
Recently, though, the queen has had some health scares. She was seen using a cane for the
first time since 2003, and she was told to skip her evening martini in order to prepare
for upcoming engagements and next year's Platinum Jubilee. Plus, she had an overnight hospital
stay, was ordered to rest, and suffered a back sprain.
While an insider told Newsweek that the palace is "hopeful" Queen Elizabeth will push on
with "light duties," 73-year-old Prince Charles has been preparing to take the throne for
his entire life — even though many people would prefer it if he did not become king.
In 1991, 82% of those in Britain agreed that Prince Charles would be a good king. Soon
after, though, news broke that he had cheated on Princess Diana and that the couple was
getting a divorce, which led to Charles' popularity taking a nosedive. His popularity hasn't fully
recovered in the intervening years. In May 2021, it was down to 31%.
Diana was an immensely popular figure at the time, and many still have a soft spot for
her today and, in turn, don't want to see Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, become queen.
What other reasons are there, though, for the public disfavoring Charles?
One is that change can be scary. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne since she was 25. Since
Charles is already in his 70s, his reign will be shorter and will be followed by yet another
royal, Prince William, stepping into the position.
"I think it's vital to remember there's only room for one sovereign at a time, not two."
Furthermore, Charles has said that he views the role of a monarch "in a different way"
than his mother, which implies more changes will be made when he becomes king. Earlier
in 2021, reports touching on these changes came out. Royal expert Angela Levin claimed
on "talkRADIO" that Prince Charles plans to trim down the monarchy as part of cost-cutting
measures.
He also plans on living in "a flat above the shop," referring to Buckingham Palace, using
Highgrove as his home and moving Prince William and Kate Middleton from Kensington Palace
to Windsor Castle. There will also be fewer working royals, and Buckingham Palace could
be opened up to the public.
Additionally, many Britons favor Prince William over Prince Charles, who has been described
in biographies as uncaring and reportedly throws tantrums and goes off on rants. Now,
given their present and future roles in the royal family, biographer Penny Junor predicts
it will be "difficult" between father and son, with "an element of competition."
Negative opinions about the Prince of Wales have only increased thanks to "The Crown."
The hit Netflix show about the royal family has reignited an interest in the infamous
love triangle between Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Camilla Parker Bowles. In particular,
the fourth season featured Charles meeting and marrying a young Diana Spencer while having
an affair with Camilla.
Fans have since spoken out about how Charles did not deserve Diana and how whiny and jealous
he seemed. Regardless of how people feel, Prince Charles is next in line to take the
throne. Biographer Andrew Morton told Newsweek,
"Everyone focuses on Meghan and Harry but they're looking in the wrong direction. They
should be focusing on Prince Charles because he has got a mountain to climb. Prince Charles,
our future head of state, future king in the very near future, is only polling in the low
30s and low 40s."
After he does become king, more trouble is likely as the shadow of Princess Diana, the
people's princess, will always linger over his reign, says Penny Junor. She told Newsweek,
"I think that is something that will haunt him indefinitely, unhappily. The problem is
that at every anniversary, she will be brought up again, and the facts or a version of the
facts will be trotted out. There will always be people who choose to believe everything
they see and hear and watch. Things like 'The Crown,' I think, are incredibly damaging and
are giving a false impression of Charles to the world."
Whether or not that's true, Britons will undoubtedly see a different side of Charles if and when
he becomes king.
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