The BBC News reports that Buckingham Palace is dismissing the claim that Queen Elizabeth is passing some royal duties on to Prince William, her 27 year-old grandson.
According to this story in the Daily Mail, the 83 year-old monarch has been passing off some of her work to the young prince — the implication is that she’s leaving her son, Prince Charles, out of the royal loop.
The Daily Mail claims they’ve seen receipts from the Treasury that give their claim merit. But according to this story from the BBC and also this story from the Guardian, the royal family is denying the charge that William is some sort of “shadow king” (a term used by the Daily Mail).
Elizabeth has been on the throne since 1952, when Charles was still a toddler, and now he’s 61 years old. That’s not so old he couldn’t be the next king, and he’s had plenty of training, but he’s married to Camilla Parker-Bowles now, with whom he had a love affair while he was married to the late Princess Diana (Diana died in 1997).
That little detail sticks in the craw of some royal subjects apparently, and for years the word has been that the queen was not happy about her son’s relationship with Parker-Bowles.
Charles and Di had Prince William (b. 1982) and Prince Harry (b. 1984) together, and while the sons may have had their ups and downs in the British press, they’re more popular than their father, especially among younger Britons.