A ROYAL MESS - AT 9:28 A.M. ET:  From London's Daily Mail:

The Queen is to hand over a substantial part of her public duties to Prince William to help him prepare for the day when he becomes King, according to a confidential document obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

Secret papers reveal that plans to ease the strain on the 83-year-old monarch and her 88-year-old husband, Prince Philip, are at an advanced stage.

The disclosures come despite months of denials from the Palace that the Queen was planning to step back from her official work in favour of her 27-year-old grandson.

You can be sure the White House is on the case, figuring out ways to snub Prince William. 

It is bound to lead to new speculation that when the Queen dies, the monarchy could skip a generation, with the Crown bypassing Charles and being handed straight to William, although Royal sources strongly discount this option.

What would happen to Prince Charles?  Would the new king name him Not Quite King, but Knows Alot?

There is speculation that Charles is reading the biography of Almost President Al Gore. 

What does a guy like Charlie say when his son gets the job, and he doesn't? 

Stay tuned.  The Brits know how to do these things.  They've even done abdications.

December 12, 2009