Charles as Governor general

[Huddo]

as Prince Charles is heir to the British throne and commonwealth has he ever been considered to be appointed as a governor general in one of the commonwealth countires such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand etc. which require him to reside in the said country for a period of 3 to 4 years in which time he can familarise himself with customs and culture of one of the countires he will one day be head of state of?....

[sara1981]

im really happy for him to become Governor general when his mother the HM Queen pass to him to travels because he will become King of England one days but im adores of him.

[btsnyder]

There was talk in the early 80s of Charles becoming Governor General of Australia, but the idea was never a popular one in Australia, I understand. There is precedent - Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was GG of Australia for a time and the Duke of Windsor was GG of the Bahamas during WWII. I think times have changed, though. It seems the post of GG is now reserved for accomplished people from the country itself. The relationship between the Crown and it's former colonies and dominions has changed since the old days. I don't think having a member of the royal family serve as GG would be embraced as it once was.

[Princejohnny25]

Yes, When he was young and lost he didnt know what to do. There was no definition as to what a Prince of Wales is supposed to do. He didnt want to live in his palace and do nothing but he didnt know how to carve out a role for himself yet. They considered making him a GG of Australia I think but that was turned down. Soon after the beginings of The Princes Trust began and he developed into the most active Prince of Wales in hundreds of years.

[Princejohnny25]

I would like actually for the heir to the throne to become a GG. It would provide excellent training and experience but I dont think it would be that popular of a choice in the commonwealth realms. Shame in my opinion. I think it would be a great idea.

[Humera]

I dont think the idea would be popular with people in the Commonwealth countries either.
I know in Canada most people see the monarchy as irrelevant in their daily lives. Many even question the relevance of the position of GG. Most prefer having their fellow Canadians become GG. We've had only 10 Canadian GGs so far anyway, they used to be British until the 1950s. There's no way we'd go back to the old system.

[Australian]

I would never want to see Charles as GG of Australia, or any member of the royal family (nothing against them) it's just that I would like to see an Australian as GG of Australia like we have now.

[Princess BellyFlop]

Originally Posted by Princejohnny25

I would like actually for the heir to the throne to become a GG. It would provide excellent training and experience but I dont think it would be that popular of a choice in the commonwealth realms. Shame in my opinion. I think it would be a great idea.

I do have a GG and I say NO . It took us so many years to have a Canadian at this position. We might be part of the Commonwealth but we are no longer a colony!

So Princejohnny25 you are absolutely right when you say it wouldn't be a popular choice in the concerned countries.

[Australian]

I think it's safe to say that NO commonwealth countries would want a British GG, they would want a representative of someone form their own country.

[Elspeth]

After the incident where the Australian Governor General dismissed the Prime Minister, I think the fact that it's part of the job to get involved in politics pretty much ruled out the possibility of a senior member of the royal family taking the job even if the countries themselves were interested.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by Elspeth

After the incident where the Australian Governor General dismissed the Prime Minister, I think the fact that it's part of the job to get involved in politics pretty much ruled out the possibility of a senior member of the royal family taking the job even if the countries themselves were interested.

Yes, as was revealed here in 1975 the Reserve Powers of the Crown are not just a theoretical concept. They are very real and would place a Royal GG in an impossible no-win situation if they were called upon to directly involve themselves in the political process.

[Ken S.]

Originally Posted by Princess BellyFlop

I do have a GG and I say NO . It took us so many years to have a Canadian at this position. We might be part of the Commonwealth but we are no longer a colony!

So Princejohnny25 you are absolutely right when you say it wouldn't be a popular choice in the concerned countries.

It may not be a popular choice, but you can't really say that the latest choice has been much of a winner, either. There are obvious reasons why she was chosen, but I think a less obvious reason as well. Martin and his clique were in general not pro-Monarchy, and I think the purpose of appointing such a controversial GG is to make Canadians question the necessity of such a position making future attempts at making Canada a republic all the more easy.