Clive Irving, author of The Last Queen, said in an interview the Prince of Wales is “entirely unsuitable” to be the next head of the Royal Family. Citing the royal’s popularity compared to the Queen and William, he said it would be better if the crown could “jump straight” to the Duke of Cambridge.
Mr Irving blasted the heir to the throne as “fundamentally an 18th-century figure” unfit for the modern monarchy.
The author claimed Charles likes his “cocoon of the 18th century”, and that the heir apparent prefers “to have sycophants around him, which is not a good sign for a future ruler”.
Mr Irving also touted the Queen as “more modern” than her son, and said she is “very timeless”.
He added: “It’s a pity they can’t jump straight from the Queen to William, they can’t do that because that’s not how the constitution works”.
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The royal author continues to say Charles as head of the monarchy would be like “driving over a cliff”, and called him “entirely unsuitable”.
He then suggested royals “freeload” off of the monarchy and fail to understand “the crown is the point”.
He added: “While the whole opera of the royal family is a great attraction, it’s outlived its time in terms of its grander purpose.
“Lots of members of the royal family are freeloading off the idea of the royal family.”
A YouGov poll released in December showed two in five Brits want to see William take over as monarch.
The same survey showed 37 percent of people want Charles to become King.
Another YouGov poll on popularity showed the Queen is far ahead of the other royals, with 78 percent of those surveyed saying they had a positive opinion the monarch.
William was ranked second with 78 percent, while Charles was a distant sixth at 47 percent.
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It comes after Robert Jobson, royal expert, claimed the Queen “will step down” this year.
He said to True Royalty’s Royal Beat programme: “I still firmly believe when the Queen becomes 95, that she will step down.”
Royal reporter Jack Royston agreed and added: “I think she won’t want to, but realistically she will get to a point where she has handed over everything to Charles and then how to do you look your son in the eye and tell him he is not going to be King?”
The Queen will turn 95 in April, after heading the crown since February 1952.
Mr Irving also said to Australia’s Today Extra the Queen “will likely be the last female monarch in England”, and pointed out all her immediate successors are male.
Suggesting why she is successful as monarch, he said: “She understood from the word go, when she became queen in 1952, that you have to sustain the mystery.
“The person is not the point, the crown is the point, the institution is the point.”
