Brian Rudman: Prepare the succession plan before it's too late

Of the Commonwealth's 52 member states, 31 are republics. It's hardly a revolutionary move. All we need is a game plan. Illustration / Peter Bromhead

On the weekend that the Queen's loyal New Zealand subjects took a day off to celebrate her 91st birthday, who hogs the headlines but her sad duffer of a son and heir, Charles.

From the Nancy Reagan Library emerges a whining letter dated June 21, 1992 from the crown prince to his penpal, the US President's wife, about how his messing around in the horse float with his old girlfriend behind his wife's back, has been exposed by said wife, Princess Di, to a journalist and his life was "so awful ... a kind of Greek tragedy".

It was a timely reminder to our politicians that if they really believe what they keep saying, that the New Zealand monarchy - headed by the British royal family - is an anachronism that will eventually have to go, then now, as the Queen slides into semi-retirement, would be a good time to start preparing a succession plan.

Otherwise, amidst all the weeping and wailing and ceremonial that will mark the passing of the present Queen, we'll suddenly wake up and discover that Charles and old girlfriend Camilla will be ensconced on the throne, and our leaders will be too chicken to do anything about what's transpired in the old imperial capital half a world away.

How much tidier and practical it would be, to have the mechanics of our advance to a republic all drawn up, ready to be triggered on the death of the present Queen.

It would give Charles and his heirs, William and Harry, time to get used to the idea. It would also ensure that whoever our Prime Minister was at the time, could attend the funeral without being seduced into a change of mind, by Charles' tears and bribes of grouse shoots at Balmoral.

One-time deputy prime minister Don McKinnon said at the time of the visit of William and Kate in 2014 that the move to a republic was "inevitable" and that "I'm certain the royal family understands that".

As the London-based secretary-general of the Commonwealth for eight years, one assumes the topic came up from time to time.

He pointed out that only 16 of the 52 Commonwealth countries still shared the British hereditary sovereign as their head of state, adding that one Caribbean realm had said publicly it would become a republic on the Queen's death and another three had indicated privately that they would likely follow suit.

Until recently, this has been an issue that politicians have avoided, and the majority of New Zealanders have tended to kick for touch. For most of us, the Queen has always been there, a rather quaint but permanent fixture in the political firmament. Dumping her would be too awful, a bit like packing granny off to an institution.

But last September's Curia opinion poll suggests that as her long reign approaches its inevitable end, New Zealanders are finally accepting it's time to enter the modern world.

Only 34 per cent supported Charles becoming King of New Zealand. A majority of 59 per cent wanted a New Zealand head of state - a 12 per cent increase on the same poll, 16 months before.

Support for a republic was highest amongst the 18 to 30-year-olds, at 76 per cent, but even amongst the over 60s, there was 53 per cent support.

Speculation is growing that the young royals, William and Kate, and Harry, and possibly even Kate's just married sister Pippa - famous, it seems, for her pert bottom - are heading this way to join the Lions' Barmy Army support team. But last September's poll, taken following separate official royal visits by Charles and Camilla, Harry, and William and Kate, suggests the old royal magic is no longer working.

Nervous politicians keep claiming a republic is inevitable, but let's not be rude to the Queen.

But what's rude about drawing up a succession plan? The palace has one for the United Kingdom so that the handover will run like clockwork. The Queen might be flattered to think we waited until her passing, to bring our head of state home.

Of the Commonwealth's 52 member states, 31 are republics. It's hardly a revolutionary move. All we need is a game plan.