One of the cruellest and most accurate remarks made about Prince Charles is that he is less king-in-waiting and more the perennial prince, forever hanging about in his mother’s shadow and increasingly desperate to assume the throne.
Yet he is now 73 years old, and will be the oldest monarch to ascend the throne since William IV, who became king aged 64 in 1830. This is a source of endless frustration to Charles. Newspaper briefings by well-placed courtiers have suggested he longs for greater involvement in the day-to-day running of ‘the Firm’, perhaps even culminating in an official Regency, given his mother’s declining health.
If Charles wishes to be beloved, rather than merely accepted, he has a considerable task ahead of him
Today he has perhaps his most high-profile opportunity yet, with his delivery of the Queen’s speech at the state opening of parliament following his mother’s indisposition. It has been suggested that the Queen suffers from ‘episodic mobility issues’ – which is why she needed the support of Prince Andrew to walk to Prince Philip’s recent memorial service.
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