In all seriousness.....if the queen can hang on 4 or so years she would be extremely prudent to pass over charles and make William the new King....
It is strictly a PR role that reflects upon the entire nation....William would possess the ability to utilize that role to a level that hasn't been seen in nearly a hundred years....Charles would continue to perpetuate the current impression that the royal family is something that the country needs to rid themselves of....
QEII
cannot "pass over" Charlie - he is the heir to the throne, and he will inherit if he is living when his mummy dies; if he should predecease, then Will, then Harry, then Andrew, etc - click this
link for the first 50 in the line of succession. Chuck could choose to abdicate, but that isn't likely; he could also go RC, which would exclude him by law (yes, it is illegal for a Catholic to become monarch of England, under the Act of Settlement of 1701). Get used to King Charles III (or whatever name he should select for himself).
Don't worry, Alan, the British royal family isn't going anywhere - they have ruled the nation (to some extent) for more than 900 years, and they have received plenty of bad PR over the centuries. The Queen still has official state duties, the people still regard her as the leader of the nation, and of course the royals are Britain's number one tourist attraction. They'll survive Charles....
BTW, Charles, aka the Duke of Cornwall, makes an estimated 12 million pounds (about $23,000,000) per year from his Cornish real estate holdings. Not bad for a part-time job....
. I wish I could find it.
