Charles for President!

It must be galling, having spent a lifetime clawing your way up the greasy pole to then get to a G20 summit and find that Ivanka Trump, by an accident of birth and with no qualifications is butting into your conversations with other world leaders. Not merely butting in, but butting in with nothing to say of any significance.

I can only surmise that Trump is preparing his daughter for a presidential run when his two terms are up (if he makes two terms that is). Ivanka was prominent on his recent state visit to the U.K. and she was there again when the Great Peacemaker met the Great Leader in the demilitarised zone of North Korea. In both cases of course his hosts are well versed in the hereditary principle. So why shouldn’t he contemplate his own dynasty? It’s not as if he would be establishing a precedent in the U.S. – both the Bush and Clinton families come to mind.

Whilst it must seem galling if you’ve actually worked for your political prominence to have to mix with some spoilt, favoured offspring we should recall that we Brits have put up with it for centuries. In our case we have a rigid system of genuflection and almost mystical faith in the idea that the monarch’s brood is blessed with some deep, profound qualities which preserve our constitution and our precious bodily waters. Thus, excepting the occasional blip they are to be fawned over and kowtowed to as if they had the combined genes of Albert Einstein and David Attenborough (our revered national treasure). It is a good thing for their image that unlike Kim Jong Un they have ceased going round killing their relatives – although there are those who believe that Princess Di came to a grisly end due to some royal plot devised by the D. of E.

The Queen’s wisdom is grounded in her knowledge that Being There is the best expression of her purpose. Say nothing that rises above platitudinous guff. Avoid controversy. Stick to gardening or whatever. As long as she doesn’t seek to exercise power, she can be tolerated. Charles is a different story. He thinks he should be able to influence things. He wants to be Ivanka. It’s a worrying prospect. I understand Peter Mandelson is a good friend.