Clive Irving, author of ‘The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor’, said the Duke of Cornwall is a “twit” who would not enjoy the same support the Queen does as King. The Queen, 94, will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, marking 70 years as the monarch.
Mr Irving, speaking to Australian TV channel Sunrise, compared the Queen and Charles and said the Duke “doesn’t have any of the qualities” the monarch is loved for.
He said: “The Queen has learned the key thing about being a monarch for all this time, which is that we shouldn’t know very personal details about her.
“That means we shouldn’t know how she feels about things and we shouldn’t know her opinions on anything.
“That gives her a kind of independence and inscrutability, which is invaluable in a monarch.”
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The royal author then continued to say Charles has spent too long in the public eye.
He said: “I unfortunately can’t say the same for her son and heir Charles, who we know far too much about.”
Mr Irving later added, comparing the Queen and Charles again: “She has no constitutional authority, but she has a very personal authority and she has earned that by being a neutral and very sympathetic figure in a kind of motherly way.
“She comes across as…warm and natural whereas Charles has none of those abilities.”
Richard Fitzwilliams, royal expert, dismissed the claims in an interview with Express.co.uk, saying rumours have been circulated around the end of the Queen’s reign for years.
He said: “It’s worth remembering that in 1947 when she swore to serve her whole life.
“She’s a deeply religious person and she meant every word of it and she’s done it absolutely brilliantly.
“I think she and the Duke of Edinburgh are marvellous role models for persons of advanced age.
“In the case of illness or incapacity that would alter things.
“I don’t think she has any intention of stepping down.”
