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Anyone who thinks Charles will "stand aside" in favor of Prince William should reconsider. He is hell-bent to secure the throne. It was widely reported that he was very cross with the Queen three years ago when she announced in a speech that hers was "a job for life." The question now seems to be whether his judgment is too flawed for him to be an effective King, especially in the modern age, when a monarch is expected to mind his ceremonial business and stay out of politics, as well as inflammatory religious, environmental and especially constitutional areas. To wage the image battle, at once vengeful and quixotic, is to endanger the fragile institution he serves. If he needs a reminder, it came in the Economist. The establishment weekly has called for Britain to become a republic.
Charles ought to relax. The constitution is largely on his side. As Rodney Barker, senior lecturer in government at the London School of Economics, points out, "The monarch has to be a communicating member of the Church of England and may not be a Roman Catholic or married to one. Beyond that there aren't many constitutional constraints. If the prince and princess do divorce, there is no reason why the prince should not be King." Most commentators agree that Charles can remarry in a Church of Scotland ceremony -- the Church of England does not recognize remarriage -- and still become King, as long as his new wife is not Catholic.
Last week's press coverage -- as usual, extravagant in its length -- emphasized the line "What could Charles have been thinking of?" The Daily Mail summarized what was being repeatedly said, from the tabloids to the more intellectual Guardian and Independent: "In many ways he has shown himself to be a dutiful monarch-in-waiting, anxious to defend Britain's heritage and champion the social concerns of ... the inner cities. Nevertheless, his royal cooperation with this book is one of the worst blunders he has made. He was grievously ill advised."
Whom does he turn to for advice? Mainly aristocratic friends of long standing like Minister of the Armed Forces Nicholas Soames, the Duke of Westminster and, of course, his "confidante," Camilla Parker Bowles. Crucial too is his private secretary, Richard Aylard, a brilliant courtier who has a gift for repackaging his boss's problems as new opportunities.
The Dimbleby book resulted from two causes. In the mid-'80s Charles became interested in what his mentor, spiritual guru Laurens van der Post, told him about "getting in touch with my soul." Second, he was aghast at the portrait that emerged from Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story, which painted him as a callous husband and distant father. Charles thought by telling his true story he could rescue his reputation. The project was undertaken with care; staff members, friends and journalists were consulted about a potential writer.