Presumptive heir

With his rise in the kingdom's pecking order to presumptive heir to the throne, he became not only the de facto political leader of the petro-state but the unrivaled billionaire boss of a sprawling family firm with more money than almost any other dynasty on the planet.

And therefore the presumptive heir to the office of the HM when it falls vacant, which any reasonable person would tell you should have happened a long time ago.

Presumptive heir to Darcy Therapeutics, the largest pharmaceutical company in Ireland, by all rights she should have lived a charmed life.

These included the presumptive heir to the throne of the Mughal Empire, which ruled most of India.

His daughter, the presumptive heir, is impetuous and cannot act like her father who had a much higher stature not only in the state but the country.

At home, Khan points out, the stability of the House of Saud's authoritarian monarchy is in danger, as King Salman struggles "to incorporate a next generation of Saudi royalty: The King's nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, is the crown prince and presumptive heir to the throne.

Add to the mix 2015 Tony champ "Fun Home"--surely the first musical ever written with a butch lesbian protagonist --and this year's presumptive heir to the trophy, "Hamilton," the pop-culture explosion that casts diverse actors as the U.S.

The presumptive heir to a convention crowning is, mysteriously, an enigma: "[T]he emotional fact is that Kennedy is not in focus, not in the old political focus, he is not comfortable." Yet Kennedy is mysterious not because of the political process, but to those who control some--but not all--levers of power: "[I]t is a mystery to the boss how Kennedy got to where he is, not a mystery in its structures; Kennedy is rolling in money, Kennedy got the votes in primaries, and, most of all, Kennedy has a jewel of a political machine." The presumptive nominee is fresh-faced and not part of the warp and woop of an institutionalized mindset, characterized by Mailer as "the boss."

Letterman, who was Carson's presumptive heir after hosting NBC's "Late Night" program in the time slot following "The Tonight Show" for 11 years, left NBC and moved to CBS to launch the "Late Show" opposite Leno in 1993.

As Gaddafi's most high-profile son, Saif al-Islam was regarded as the presumptive heir. He denied having this ambition but was a key member of his father's inner circle.

GADDAFI'S PLAYBOY SON WHO THREATENED LIBYANS WITH 'RIVERS OF BLOOD' As Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's most high-profile son, Saif al-Islam was regarded as the presumptive heir.