UNITED KINGDOM 14 November 2008 Prince Charles turns 60. Closer to honorific, "Your Majesty?" 

The Heir Apparent to the British throne, Prince Charles, turns 60 on 14 Nov. It's a day likely to trigger speculation about the succession -- when and if Charles will succeed, Queen Elizabeth II -- as well as prompt a review of the Prince's activism. A commemorative coin will be issued to mark his birthday.

When he might succeed is a debated question. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, turned 82 a few months before Charles' birthday and has indicated that she has no plans to abdicate. If she lives as long as her mother -- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother died just short of her 102nd birthday -- the Prince will have a long wait. And there is the risk that he could predecease her.

The succession by Charles or his son, Prince William, can be counted on to stimulate debate about republicanism in Britain and in the former British colonies, now members in the British-led Commonwealth of nations. The Mail newspaper reported diplomatic warnings to Buckingham Palace that it is "almost inevitable" that Australia and New Zealand will abandon the British monarch as their head of state when the Queen dies.

The Prince of Wales' activism is often in the headlines and as often derided. He has written and spoken about developments in fields such as architecture, the inner cities, education, religion, health and farming. In November he called for a return to traditional teaching methods to give children a "proper appreciation of the world we inhabit." In Oct 2007 he launched a global private-sector initiative dedicated to find ways of keeping the world's old-growth forests standing and providing "essential public services to humanity." He recently said that banning the fast-food chain McDonald's was the key to a healthier lifestyle for children.

A Dispatches documentary on Britain's Channel 4 in March, "Charles: The Meddling Prince" discussed calls for the Prince to be brought into line or stripped of his right to succeed to the throne. It questions whether he is fit to be king. The program accuses Charles of being "too political" and of "meddling" in the affairs of state. It also alleges that the Prince of Wales has used "questionable" financial deals to run the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate which provides him with an annual multi-million pound income.

The first round of polls and headlines that questioned Charles right to succeed emerged in the aftermath of his divorce from the late Princess Diana in 1996, and peaked when she was killed in a car accident in 1997. The tabloid newspapers painted him as a cold and heartless philanderer.

RELATED READING:

Campaign for an elected head of state (Republic.com)
http://www.republic.org.uk/

Charles fights Channel 4 on his "meddling" (Telegraph 4 Mar 2007)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/04/ncharles04.xml

Prince of Wales web
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk