Heirs-in-Waiting

NBC has announced that Conan O'Brien will succeed Jay Leno as Tonight Show host ... in 2009. The lengthy advance notice was seen as a way of keeping Late Night host O'Brien from jumping to a new network when his contract expires next year. Five years is a long time to wait for a promotion. But Conan can take heart from these other heirs- long-in-waiting.

HU'S THE BOSS? China's Jiang Zemin, left, made his designated heir, Hu Jintao, party chief in '02 and President in '03. But only last month did he hand over the top military post

SAFELY ANCHORED NBC has groomed Brian Williams, right, to succeed Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw for 11 years. He got the official nod in 2002 but still had more than two years to wait; he takes over Dec. 2

BANK ON IT When Bank One merged with J.P. Morgan Chase in July, Jamie Dimon, right, of Bank One, was guaranteed the CEO slot of the new company — when Chase's William Harrison retires in 2006

ROYAL PATIENCE Prince Charles, first-born son of Queen Elizabeth II, has been the future King of England since his birth 56 years ago. One marriage, two sons and 11 Prime Ministers later, he's still waiting