The Queen of England has recently shown signs she may be ready to hand over the reigns to her son, Prince Charles, following a number of key decisions, the most notable being the merging of her and the Prince's press offices.
Prince Charles will turn 66 this year, and was four years old when Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne. His very public life (and long wait to become King) has been full of triumphs, tragedy and, of course, controversy. The triumphs and tragedies are well documented, the births of his sons, William and Harry, and the tragic death of his ex-wife, Princess Diana, come to mind, but the controversy seems to have been swept under the carpet in recent years.
It was back in 2003 when one of the Prince's former members of staff, George Smith, made what the British media like to call "sensational allegations", of the Prince's penchant for men and women, when it came to his choice of partners. Sadly Mr Smith passed away in 2005, and he was never properly able to fully explain his comments.
The conservative nature of the British monarchy would suggest such claims (assuming they were proven to be correct) would kill off any hope Prince Charles had of ascending to the throne. One senses the Queen herself would turn her nose up at the notion that one of her sons is bisexual. However, you get the impression her relatively more liberal minded Mother would be sipping on a gin and tonic looking down from above shrugging her shoulders, while her former daughter-in-law would be shrugging her shoulders and saying "I told you so". And let's not forget the fun his own father, Prince Phillip would be having with the scandal.
We are talking about a family that in the past 20 years alone, has dealt with divorce, drugs, drinking, death and despair, and that is just ticking off the letter 'd'.
As the gay marriage debate continues to simmer around the world today, and the behavior of certain French Presidents (and former US Presidents) have dominated headlines, it is worth asking just why will Prince Charles be the next King of England? The answer is simple. It is his birthright, not a behavioural right (if there is such a thing).
It wasn't that long ago Prince Charles' divorce of Princess Diana would have ruled him ineligible as heir to the throne, but look where he sits now.
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