Prince of a guy

Hello? What does that make Queen Elizabeth II? Chopped liver? Her office pompously explained that, because she carries out certain duties of the head of state, she is therefore the "de facto" head of state.

De facto, schmacto. The GG is not Canada's head of state. There was no regal promotion.

But, that's not why I'm writing. My concern is that if Rideau Hall can attempt a blatant grab of constitutional powers during the reign of the most popular Queen in centuries, what will it try to do once Prince Charles ascends the throne?

I worry with good reason. Last summer, Jeffrey Simpson, political columnist with the Globe and Mail, unfavourably compared Prince Charles to the Governor General. Simpson described the GG as "contemporary, bilingual, multicultural, modern and worldly." He carelessly dismissed Charles as "stodgy," and predicted that his Canadian visit here in November would drive up the number of people who want us to ditch the monarchy.

Charles has endured years of hostility from the popular press. He has been portrayed as an eccentric, dotty recluse who talks to plants and goes into unintelligible ravings about architecture. Sissy. Cold unfeeling husband and father. Weak inbred genes. Weird sexual peccadilloes. Worse, it's claimed he is living a life of privilege at public expense. And now, it seems he is "stodgy."

Well, I beg to differ. The popular perspective is wrong on so many levels, it's tough to know where to begin.

In the first place, our constitutional monarchy will not be dumped due to the "stodginess" of the heir apparent, despite the tedious clamourings of Simpson, et al.

While changing our form of government can be done, and perhaps should be done (there is a great case to be made for an American-style republic here), the very last reason to do so would be because a particular monarch is not liked by woefully ill-informed writers in the popular press.

Charles's character is the very antithesis of "stodgy."

On a physical level, Charles is a superb athlete with a respectable handicap at polo. He is also a highly competent skier. He is a pilot and a member of the Ten Ton club, having flown jet fighters at over 1,000 miles per hour. He is the first Prince of Wales to have jumped out of an airplane. No sissy, at age 20, Charles faced angry Welsh mobs at Caernarfon Castle and was invested as their prince, winning their hearts with his courage and candour.

Charles is a 21st-century kind of guy. Organic gardener. Talented watercolourist. Accomplished musician. Tireless crusader for the homeless. Keenly aware of his carbon footprint, Charles has converted all his cars to run on biofuel, including his 38-year-old Aston Martin, which now runs on surplus wine. Charles is also a caring father who, like any parent, agonizes over youthful indiscretions and takes parental pride as his young sons grow into manhood.

Charles has a wicked sense of humour plus a healthy amount of red blood in his veins to complement the blue. With a sense of impish roguishness, he charmed an actress being presented to him with: "Father told me if I ever met a lady in a dress like yours, I must look her straight in the eyes..."

Charles is eminently suited to becoming our king. He has been better prepared than any other monarch in history. His strict schooling on the remote northern Scottish coast and the far reaches of the Australian outback were the harsh crucible that forged his extraordinary character and temperament.

Charles is the first heir to the throne to have graduated from university, completing an honours degree at Cambridge. He is the first Prince of Wales in seven centuries to learn to speak Welsh and the first Prince of Wales to speak in the House of Lords.

Charles is an astute businessman, overseeing the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides his income. Due to a quirk of history, he is not included on the Civil List and receives no income from the state. While not legally required to pay income tax, since 1993 Charles has voluntarily paid the treasury at the top rate of 40 per cent. He is also a hands-on administrator of the Prince's Trust, which he established and which in very real ways gives a hand up to disadvantaged youth in Britain.

Charles has a great respect for the diversity of present-day life in the Commonwealth. He has expressed a desire to change one of the monarch's titles, Defender of the Faith, to Defender of Faiths, in a gesture of profound tolerance and inclusiveness.

Charles has a deep love and respect for his mother and the amazing institutions of which he will become symbolic head. He is an optimistic, loving and humorous man who faces his unknown future with a perspective that is open, intelligent and pragmatic.

I hope his Canadian visit spans Nov. 14, his 61st birthday. I will wish him a Happy Birthday, and much future happiness for both him and his beloved Camilla.

Far from stodgy, I think Charles is at least as contemporary, bilingual, multicultural, modern and worldly as our current representative of the Crown.

Charles will make a perfect king and a wonderful head of state for Canada.

Marilyn Baker is a freelance writer in Richmond, B.C.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 18, 2009 A10