The Queen is now 87 years old and the process of handing over duties to her son is well under way. This week is an important sign of that transition. For the first time since 1973, the Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
He has used his 'kingly' apprenticeship to both publicly and privately to promote issues he believes to be important. Long before environmental concerns such as climate change became part of the mainstream political agenda he was pressuring the establishment to take them seriously.
His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, of course, has the unenviable task of choosing a present for the man who really does have everything. “I have bought him something,” she said. “I will tell you that he is the most difficult person in the world to buy a present for".
So what had the Duchess settled for in the end? At first she was reluctant to share her secret, but then relented, saying: “Actually I have bought him something but whether he will like it or not … I don’t know...Well, he collects a lot of things and it is something special — china — that I have found. It’s what he really likes. And I know he will be happy with that.”
At OISE Oxford, we hope the Prince will have the chance to eat lots of cake. Happy Birthday!
