King in waiting? Sneak a peak on Prince Charles's painful path to the throne

Many of us have already imagined a world without the Queen. The UK and other Commonwealth realms have dealt with questions about getting rid of the monarchy or expectations from her successor more on it, on the thought and action in this regard. Her eldest son has juggled on both these things. Prince Charles may or may not be able to achieve these things.

The royal family seems to be living in a parallel world, reliant on aides and allies to explain things about people to them and vice versa. The scenario has kept members covered away from reality. The citizens' eye has evolved into a more stern gaze. To the extent that if the Windsors wish to see the most significant risks to the existence of the monarchy, they need only to peep in the mirror.

Take the trio of dangers Charles's advisers regarded, until this series of self-inflicted wounds, as a 'nightmare scenario' for the successful beginning of his reign. They feared that the Commonwealth of Nations might select someone other than him as the organization's next head.


Protesters at every step pointed to how the royals were beneficiaries in social and economic terms of empire and inequality, exploitation and enslavement.

Many people already misunderstood the Windsors as reality TV stars before the Netflix series 'The Crown' converted earlier royal disturbances into a drama. Although it is inside the palaces, they have a human story, and monarchy matters, using more power than is broadly understood.

These days, the Sussexes and Cambridges, are proxies in culture battles that rise across social media and in poster head titles, with William and Kate mounting for a stodgy status quo and Meghan and Harry for developing ideals.

As a king, Charles is expected to receive many more troublesome gifts, but he will also gain directly from the annual royal grant, laid aside for fulfilling head of state duties. Such duties will be his focus.

In a BBC documentary on his 70th birthday, he announced that he wouldn't be able to do the same things he had done as an heir, so considered operating only within the constitutional parameters.
The threat for him and the monarchy is that his history is filled with unexploded ordnance. King Charles will be treated for his future decisions and past actions and associations.

Charles has faced more than a few scandals and won over more than a few skeptics. His environmentalism, once broadly ridiculed, resonates more widely than it did. However, he remains a polarising figure trying to steer an increasingly polarised world. The primary role of a leader of the state is to unify. So it could be a bumpy ride.