LONDON -- Britain is filled with speculation that Prince Charles has chosen 19-year-old 'Lady Di' to become his wife and the next queen of England.
But first, Lady Diana Spencer must pass a physical to determine if she can have children, to keep the royal line going.
Prince Charles, heir to the throne, celebrates his 32nd birthday Friday and there has been growing speculation he will use the occasion to announce his engagement to the young aristocrat, dubbed 'Lady Di' by the British press.
But the royal family is concerned that whoever marries Queen Elizabeth's oldest son will continue the 900-year-old line of English monarchs that dates back to the Norman conquest.
'The next Queen of England must, above all, become a mother,' said a royal aide Tuesday. 'It seems certain that whoever Prince Charles marries, she will be seven years or more younger than he is.'
The aide said 'before there can be any question of an engagement' the prince's prospective bride would have to under go medical tests to ensure she can bear children.
But Britons have become used to having their hopes dashed and, to many, Lady Diana is the latest in a seemingly endless line of prospective brides for the bachelor Prince Charles, who once said 30 was a 'nice age' to get married.
'He always liked to have a second string in his bow,' an aide of the royal family said. 'Prince Charles has blotted his copybook so many times that perhaps he has decided at long last to find one girl and stick to her.'
Lady Diana, the youngest daughter of the 8th Earl of Spencer, could be that one girl. She certainly seems to fit all the qualifications.
'She looks good, her background and idealized view of love before marriage fit perfectly with his (and) in the past few months, she's shown how well she can behave under pressure,' one columnist said.
Charles, who revels in the role of the 'fast and loose' bachelor, is keeping quiet about his plans.
A television crew cornered the prince Tuesday night hoping to get a scoop on the royal engagement.
'I can't think what useful information to impart,' he said with a smile. 'But judging from the brightness of the lights, somebody must think I have something to say.'
