The prince who would not be king
CAN Prince Charles ever be King? The Channel 4 special featuring taped interviews from beyond the grave with his ex-wife make his chances of coronation much slimmer.
In remembering their mum with such affection, his sons have also – perhaps unwittingly – damaged their dad’s monarchical chances.
Loyalist is not a word friends tend to repeat when they speak of me.
But 20 years ago, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, hit even republicans hard. She was such a constant presence on our screens and newspapers, it was quite difficult to imagine a world without her.
The Royal Family failed to respond to the mass mourning and grief. But as time passed, the damage Diana’s demise brought to the Windsors seemed to have faded.
The princess lived on in her children – and they have turned out well. Diana seemed to have faded to a golden, distant memory – laid to rest in an island mausoleum, remote and still beautiful in our minds.
The commemoration of her death 20 years ago has opened old wounds. There was nothing in the Channel 4 tapes that surprised anyone who was around at the time.
But revisiting it might well do more damage than the original revelations. Attitudes have changed in 20 years and we no longer consider it acceptable that the Royal Family operate according to different rules.
Diana was chosen as a young, innocent girl by a family who need heirs. Her husband always loved someone else but took part in the charade – even though he was a mature man in his 30s who should have known better.
But it is the revelation from Prince Harry that is most damning of his father. The little boy did not want to walk behind the coffin of his beloved mother through the streets of London. Yet he was forced to do it – a vulnerable, traumatised child (as was his older brother).
It now transpires that the boys were persuaded to do this against their wishes – and the palace lied to their uncle, Charles Spencer, telling him they wanted to participate.
In fact, the Royals feared that Charles would face hostility from the crowd if the young princes were not there.
It wouldn’t happen today, said Harry. The public wouldn’t tolerate it. Why, then, would they tolerate a man such as Charles as king?