Poor Prince Charles

Via the BBC:  Philippe becomes new Belgian king as Albert II abdicates.

Plus:

King Albert’s abdication comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighbouring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favour of her son Willem-Alexander.

FILED UNDER: Europe, World Politics, , ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Meanwhile, Prince Harry is days if not hours away from seeing himself demoted from third in line to the throne to fourth in line behind a newborn child.

  2. rudderpedals says:

    Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Karma?

  3. JKB says:

    He might be her son but that doesn’t mean Queen Elizabeth would do that to her country.

  4. Jenos Idanian says:

    @Doug Mataconis: Considering Harry’s activities in the Royal Army, he’s probably relieved at the “demotion.”

    Maybe I’m spoiled by his fictional persona from John Birmingham’s novels, but I find myself wondering if he actually would make a pretty decent king. However, he seems doing just fine on his own. One might even say refreshingly normal.

  5. My girlfriend insists that Elizabeth is staying alive purely out of spite to keep Charles from the throne. I might be starting to agree with her.

  6. Laurence Bachmann says:

    So Chuck is jealous of Pip….stop the presses! I get why Brits have crap like this littering their blogs but why do we?

    No news isn’t just good news, it’s a thousand times preferable to made-up news.

  7. @Laurence Bachmann: I find the abdications amusing in the context of the British royal family.

  8. HarvardLaw92 says:

    @Christopher Bowen:

    Eh, I doubt it. She’s had DUTY beaten into her brain from birth. I honestly believe that she sees it as a commitment that she made and won’t ever shirk that duty. You also have to factor in the abdication (and reaction to the same) in the 1930s.