Prince Charles can’t ‘choose for himself’ says Paul Burrell
The Prince of Wales is next in line to ascend to the throne, after his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Yet there are many who believe he is not fit to be king and would destroy the monarchy. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Royal biographer Clive Irving claimed that the monarchy “could go over a cliff very fast” if Charles became King.
Others argue that Charles should step aside for William, if the Royal institution is to survive into the future.
However, Alison Weir emphatically defended Charles’ right to succeed to the throne, insisting he would make an “excellent” monarch.
She told Express.co.uk: “I do think he is fit to be King. I see no reason why he shouldn’t be King.
“He has been trained to be a king and since his early 20s he’s got involved.”
A fervent monarchist, Ms Weir doesn’t think that the Royal institution is out of date and needs reforming, and certainly sees no reason for Charles to step aside for William.
THE BRITISH monarchy will thrive and flourish under King Charles
Ms Weir certainly sees no reason for Charles to step aside for William.
She explained: “Constitutionally there is no provision for it, so why would there be?
“When kings have abdicated in the past, they have usually done so under duress many, many centuries ago or they have done so for love like Edward VIII.
“So why would Charles wish to abdicate when he has been trained for kingship and will probably make an excellent king?
“I can’t see the monarchy jumping off a cliff, I really can’t.”
The Royal writer, who is set to publish her new book ‘Katherine Parr’in May, conceded that Charles may make some changes to royal protocols to make the monarchy more relevant to modern times.
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Alison Weir is a leading Royal historian who has published more than 3 million books
She said: “I do think Charles will change a few things.
“He’s said he is not going to be a defender of THE faith, he’s going to be a defender of all faiths, it might be along those lines.
“I see it (monarchy) surviving, flourishing actually.”
Mr Irving criticised the Prince of Wales for not using his wealth and position to do more for philanthropic causes, making an unfavourable comparison with his former wife Princess Diana.
He told Vanity Fair: “It is deciding that your position enables you to be an influence to get things changed that need changing, and then going out and leveraging it. Diana really did that.
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“What wasn’t mentioned is the Prince’s Trust which has helped thousands of young people.”
Charles is often unfavourably compared to Diana
“But Charles gets very peevish if people raise the question of, “well, why don’t you do more?”
Ms Weir countered that Prince Charles has made an immense impact on society through his Prince’s Trust charity.
The charity was set up by Charles in 1976 and helps people aged 11 to 30 to get into jobs, education and training.
Since its inception, the Trust has supported over one million young people and is still going strong.
The Royal historian said: “What wasn’t mentioned is the Prince’s Trust which has helped thousands of young people.
“I am not saying Prince Charles is a saint, I am not saying he isn’t autocratic at times but I do think there is an awful lot of compassion in him.”
Royal Family Tree
She believes that a lot of the criticism the Duke of Cornwall attracts is due to his determination to stand up for what he believes in and to voice his opinions in a highly politicised society.
“He echoes the views of many on modern architecture for example yet he is done down for it,” she said.
“Architectural styles shouldn’t be a matter of politics it should be a matter of aesthetic appreciation.
“He is entitled to his view as much as anyone else. I am not saying he is right or wrong but he is entitled to voice it on something like that.”
(Alison Weir is a leading Royal historian who has published more than 3 million books – fiction and non-fiction – on British royalty.
Her next fictional work “Katherine Parr The Sixth Wife” is due out in May.)