Charles A Record-Setting British Royal

Prince Sets Mark As Longest-Running King-In-Waiting: More Than 59 Years

(CBS)  In 1953. three-and-a-half-year-old Prince Charles watched with excitement as his newly crowned mother, Queen Elizabeth, was driven up to Buckingham palace in her golden carriage.

On that day, he became heir-apparent to the British throne.

He's now been king-in-waiting, year-in and year-out, for 59 years and 74 days -- a record.

And the end, points out CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, is nowhere in sight. The queen may be 81, but she's in excellent health, and shows no signs of slowing down.

In 1969, Charles did get a crown of his own, as Prince of Wales.

But his much higher public profile, says Palmer, hasn't always been popular, especially the scandal of his marriage, and divorce from Princess Diana.

Earlier this month, the inquest into the death of the late princess was told by one of Diana's divorce lawyers, Maggie Rae, that Diana wanted the British crown to skip a generation, so their eldest son, Prince William, would succeed Elizabeth, depriving Charles of his chance to rule. The royal family, old-fashioned, insular and stuffy, was incapable of changing, the princess is said to have thought, so its best chance to modernize lay with young William speedily taking the throne.

There's been no serious suggestion that the crown skip Charles and go straight to William, Palmer reports. But, she adds, that's not necessarily much comfort.

"What he's really facing is not whether or not he's going to be king," royals watcher Victoria Mather told Palmer. "There is no choice about that -- or whether or not he wants to be king -- but the fact is that he's not going to be king for very long."

Charles, heir to the throne of England has no choice but to wait, Palmer says.