The Queen had fans in hysterics this week as she virtually unveiled a statue of herself for the first time at Government House in Adelaide, Australia. The 94-year-old also cracked a joke about those who catch sight of it might be alarmed to think she has paid a surprise visit, much to the delight of the others in the video call. But Graham Smith, of anti-royal group Republic, has warned the Prince of Wales may not garner the same popularity from the public as his mother, who has spent nearly 70 years on the throne.

He told Express.co.uk: “No-one should be King, but even by their own standards Charles is not fit for the role.

“He is openly political on any issue he takes an interest in, from architecture to the environment and NHS spending.

“He secretly lobbies and interferes in the business of government and his treatment of Duchy tenants and demands for legal exemptions that give the Duchy a commercial advantage speak volumes about his priorities and values.

“Values that don’t sit well with the British public.

“The Queen is the last royal to attract that kind of support and respect.

“After decades as heir Charles causes a lot of people a lot of anxiety, whether because of his personal life, public comments, record as Duke of Cornwall or political meddling. He won’t be getting the kind of support his mother has.”

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has previously branded the group’s calls for a republican Britain as “nonsense”.

He wrote on Twitter: “There is no call in Parliament for a referendum.”

Charles has admitted he knows his political views will not be shared when he becomes King.

When he was interviewed for a BBC documentary about his 70th birthday, he said: “You know, I’ve tried to make sure whatever I’ve done has been non-party political, and I think it’s vital to remember there’s only room for one sovereign at a time, not two.

“So, you can’t be the same as the sovereign if you’re the Prince of Wales or the heir.

“But the idea somehow that I’m going to go on in exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense because the two – the two situations – are completely different.”

Over the years, Charles’s private views various issues have also been made known to the public.

He sent letters between September 2004 and April 2005 to ministers in seven Whitehall departments during the second term of Tony Blair’s Labour Government, where he shared his views on policy.

The letters were known as the back spider memos due to the Prince’s unique handwriting.

In 2004, a letter to then Education Secretary Charles Clarke showed Charles warning that teachers of English and history were in danger of losing their passion for the subjects because of “fashionable” teaching techniques.

                                © EXPRESS Prince Charles will become King when the Queen steps down

He wrote: “My Summer Schools are also challenging the fashionable view that teachers should not impart bodies of knowledge, but should instead act as ‘facilitators’ or ‘coaches’, a notion which I find difficult to understand, I must admit.”

Last year, Charles also faced backlash due to his portrayal in Netflix show The Crown, which depicted him as a cold and aloof husband to a lonely Princess Diana.

Despite the show straying away from accuracy, it resulted in Charles and Camilla turning off comments on their social media posts to avoid backlash over Diana last year.

Buckingham Palace has previously said the 94-year-old monarch has no intention of stepping down any time soon after she spent time away last year due to the Covid pandemic.

                                © GETTY Prince Charles faced criticism over his portrayal in the Crown

Palace aides recently said: “It’s a delicate line but I think we will see her doing private audiences again and more of the work we are used to seeing her do in public at some point in the future.

“She is still receiving her red Government boxes and having her weekly audience with the Prime Minister.

“There is no suggestion of her stepping back, she is very much fulfilling her duties as head of state.”

Source: Express.co.uk