How Prince Charles’ ‘Openness’ Makes Him a Threat to the Monarchy
Royal experts are not convinced Prince Charles is ready to be King. The Prince of Wales is first in line to the throne and will take over as the head of the monarchy once Queen Elizabeth is gone. Although all signs point toward Charles taking the throne in the near future, one royal commentator believes his “openness” is a threat to the future of the monarchy.
Prince Charles faces controversy over politics
Charles is an active conservationist and has worked hard to raise awareness about issues related to the environment. But with the royals traditionally taking more of a neutral stance on topics, Charles’ activism has come under scrutiny.
According to Express, royal expert Angela Levin says that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have expressed annoyance with Charles’ comments over the years, especially when it comes to environmental issues.
“He annoyed his parents, actually,” Levin shared. “They felt he was weak, they felt they couldn’t trust him to be king, that he had all these funny ideas about spiritualism and plastic in the sea.”
Over a decade ago, Prince Charles came under fire after a series of letters surfaced that he wrote to political leaders. The documents were dubbed the “black spider memos” and revealed that Charles was discussing topics with public stakeholders.
Members of the royal family are supposed to be politically neutral, and Charles’ behavior bordered on meddling in government affairs. In response, Clarence House assured royal watchers that Charles was merely “expressing concern” about several topics and was only seeking “practical ways” to solve these issues.
This royal expert believes the Prince of Wales is a threat to the monarchy
In a recent interview, royal expert Rita Panahi argued that Charles is a threat to the monarchy because of his penchant for going against royal traditions.
More specifically, Panahi believes that Charles’ openness about hot-button issues like environmental change is a clear sign that the Prince of Wales is not ready to lead the monarchy.
“I think he’s everything that the Queen is not,” Panahi explained. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to stay away from these contentious issues, to understand his role and not to preach about climate change…or other issues he’s spoken about in the past.”
Panahi added that it would be better for the monarchy if Charles abdicated in favor of his son, Prince William, who has shown a little more restraint in the public eye.
Although Charles has faced similar criticisms in the past, he has not displayed any signs that he will give up his right to the throne. After all, Charles has waited longer than anyone to take the crown and has not shied away from the spotlight.
Prince Charles brings the monarchy into modern times
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, members of the royal family have been forced to change how they do business. This includes fulfilling their royal duties over video conferences instead of in-person meetings. And for Charles, this also means launching his first podcast.
In a bid to modernize the monarchy, Express reports that Charles recorded his first podcast to celebrate Easter. The move comes a few months after Kate Middleton took part in her first podcast, where she discussed the challenges of being a parent.
Charles recording featured him reading a passage from the bible. The segment was a part of a podcast from Westminster Abbey titled Abbeycast.
Royal experts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito praised Charles for embracing technology and being able to adapt to the current situation.
“Applause to them because I think they are embracing modern times by getting on a podcast,” Bowie shared. “The Royal’s ability to pivot and take everything online has shown how nimble they are.”
Are Prince William and Kate Middleton becoming the face of the monarchy?
Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, have also stepped up their games amid the coronavirus pandemic. The couple has been using social media like never before the past few weeks, offering royal watchers an inside look at their personal lives.
With Queen Elizabeth hunkering down at Windsor Castle and staying out of the spotlight, Fiorito argued that William and Kate are quickly becoming the new faces of the monarchy.
“I think we are going to be seeing a lot more of Prince William,” Fiorito stated. “I think he is cementing his place as the next generation of the Royal Family. With Prince Harry not there all the time, I think a lot is going to fall on his shoulders and I am really excited to see that happen.”
There is no telling when things will get back to normal for the monarchy. The royals have canceled or postponed most of their upcoming events for the summer and have been conducting Zoom meetings for everything else.
Prince Charles has not commented on the rumors surrounding his future as King.
