Happy Birthday to Prince Charles who turns 60 today. I can remember as a little girl wishing I could meet him one day and marry him. I mean, let's face it, what little girl wouldn't want to be a princess? Well, I'm sure he's a very nice man, all things considered, but I'm just as happy not to have ever met him. However, I do find the royal family interesting fodder and have followed all of them throughout my life.Although Prince Charles has always had a reputation for being dull and boring, I think he probably has a good heart and has done his best to serve his country and the Commonwealth through his charity work. He's also become better looking as he got older.
It has come to light recently that he would like to change the monarch's present title of "Defender of the Faith" to "Defender of Faith." A small, seemingly insignificant change since the reign of Henry VIII when the pope bestowed on him the title for his early support for Roman Catholicism. Prince Charles hopes that this change in title will symbolise Britain's multicultural society and his desire to embrace all religions. Changes to the 1953 Royal Titles Act would be required before the prince could fulfill his wish.
The prince's birthday today recognises that he is the longest monarch-in-waiting. There is always speculation on when Charles will become king, but the Queen, now 82, took an oath to be reign until her death. While she has informally indicated that she plans to keep the job for life, she has given her son a strong personal endorsement indicating her confidence in his ability to serve the people.
And even if Charles never makes it to the throne, he can look back on his life and know that he was defined by his charity work. So Happy Birthday, Charlie, and long may you live.
