Wed 15 Nov 2006

The Crown and the Constitution

Dr Starkey's guests tonight are Harriet Harmen MP, Peter Tatchell (founding member of 'OutRage!'), Hugo Vickers (royal family expert).

Today the Queen read her 52nd Speech opening Parliament. Her Majesty is now 80 years old, and the reign of George VII (the current Prince Charles) is no longer a distant prospect. As a prince, he's been the most overtly political royal for over a century, on record as having a variety of views on important social issues, religion and the environment, and showing remarkable foresight on all of these.

But how important will Charles's political views be when he becomes King? Despite a commitment from Clarence House that he won't make speeches after he is crowned, he has already made his opinions clear on many issues where he will have to be publicly neutral in the future. Is a written constitution now more necessary than ever in order to keep politics in the hands of the democratic, voting public?