Prince Charles will be 'the grandfather of the nation', says royal author

Prince Charles is next in line for the throne, if the Queen abdicates or passes away.

While the thought of a new King or Queen of England may be an unsettling prospect for some, as her Majesty has reigned for an impressive 70 years and will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, one royal expert thinks the Prince of Wales will act like a grandfather to the nation when his time comes to take over.

Royal author Tina Brown, who is set to release her new bookThe Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil told The Telegraph: "I think Charles could become the grandfather of the nation.

"I actually think people might rally to him because he is an authentic person and he’s coming in at a moment when his own passions really do meld with the times we live in. His long-standing passion for the environment and concern about climate change, these are not Palace-manufactured things."

Tina also thinks Charles' wife, Duchess Camilla, will make a great replacement to lead the country, as she believes the Duchess of Cornwall keeps Queen Elizabeth II's son in check.

She continued: "And I think Camilla has a chance to be a sort of instant queen mother. She’s got a lot of charm and naturalness and they have this incredible bond as a couple.

"Camilla is the horse whisperer for him. She understands his temperament perfectly. She’s got that incredible mistress’s EQ [emotional intelligence] about when to be tart in terms of pulling him up if he’s being pompous… There’s a little bit of tough love, but it’s always couched with warmth and humour. It’s very like how the Queen Mother was with George VI. She was able to manage him without him knowing he was being managed. And that’s true of Camilla; I think she steadies Charles in a way that is very healthy for him. He’s a much more relaxed man when he’s around her and she does make him laugh. She’s a funny woman. And she shares all his interests and friends which Diana never shared."

Tina believes the late Princess Diana would have been disappointed at the thought of Camilla as Queen of England.

She added: "Diana would have loathed the idea of Queen Camilla, there’s no question about it, but we’re 25 years on. The Queen’s always been a pragmatist and she knows Charles wants Camilla to be queen. So what the Queen wants to do now is tidy up and do what she can to help Charles take on the role. It was a very shrewd bit of estate planning to make that declaration."