King Charles waited over half a century to become king. His reign began relatively recently, after the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. And yet, people are already talking about the era that will follow him when Prince William takes the throne.
With Charles battling serious health issues – he was diagnosed with cancer last year – some have even argued that it’s already time for William to ascend the throne, with Charles effectively stepping down to facilitate a change of monarchs.
An intriguing idea, perhaps, but one expert has claimed such a transition would never come to pass, claiming that William ‘can forget’ being handed the throne from his father.
Somehow people were still shocked when Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, passed away in 2022. The late queen ruled for over 70 years, with Prince Charles preparing since birth to eventually take over. It can safely be assumed that he was more than ready to take the throne when he did, but the start to his rule was dealt a major blow when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Charles was 73 when he became king, and while he is in good spirits, his health issues have raised the prospect of his potential abdication. Some argue that it would be better for the UK, not to mention allowing Charles to focus entirely on rest and regaining his strength.
At the same time, who could blame Charles for not wanting to abdicate a position he waited for over 70 years to attain?
In any case, a royal insider told Woman’s Day in December last year that the monarch “came to terms” with the fact that he would have a short-lived reign years ago.
“He’s a lot weaker and tires easily, and doctors are begging him to slow down,” the source said, adding that King Charles knows in private that his health issues limit him, and is struggling over whether it’s noble or not to abdicate.
“Charles will have been told worst and best-case scenarios in terms of his health, but it’s clear some of his royal priorities have had to be sidelined.”
Could King Charles abdicate?
The source continued by saying that while Charles is reluctant to hand over too much power and space to William, he has held private meetings with him to discuss the future.
“As devastating as it’s been, he’s had to step away from some of his plans or leave them to William. He has no choice,” the source said. “Cancer has changed him, made him reassess what’s important, and there’s no one he’d rather spend his time with than Camilla. Stepping aside could be what gives him more time with her.”
William, of course, is being groomed for life as king, just as his father was. Sadly, another royal expert now claims that Charles has to accept his fate. Speaking to People Magazine, royal commentator Sally Bedell Smith claimed that Charles has to “accept limitations” during his cancer treatment.
“Although the King is carrying out his duties with typical determination, he has had to accept limitations during his cancer treatment,” Bedell Smith said. “As a result, William has been taking on more responsibilities, and he and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected.”
A palace source told GB News that within the Palace walls, “there is a sense of calm before the storm.” As Charles had to take rest days and cancel planned attendances at several events to recover from cancer treatments, Prince William stepped in to help.
King Charles ‘declined’ Prince ceremony for William
The future king has endeavored to help his father in the best way possible with regards his royal duties. It’s good practice too, since William will take the throne eventually whether he feels ready or not.
“They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate’s health has taken priority, but it’s also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what’s important right now,” the source said.
It’s safe to assume that abdicating will be an absolute last resort for Charles. Even though he knows his son will do fantastically as monarch, the king will most likely not step down while he still draws breath.
How King Charles is modernizing the monarchy
Though Prince William wasn’t formally ‘installed’ as the Prince of Wales, that doesn’t mean the title will disappear. When William takes the throne in the future, his eldest son, Prince George, is expected to take his old title.
“I’d be stunned if [the title] disappeared, only because the monarchy is built on tradition,” Thomas said. “History tells us [the royals] stick to tradition … I’d be surprised if, in the future, William thought, ‘No, I’m going to ditch this one’”.
Charles has done his bit in trying to modernize the monarchy as much as possible. More and more it’s becoming apparent that the Royal Family must adapt to survive in the modern world, and King Charles, despite his age, is proving that he too can become a modern man.
For example, Charles’s decision to reveal that he had cancer was a major break from tradition. The younger generation, consisting of Prince William, Kate Middleton, and co., hope to modernize the Royal Family further.
How a ‘modern monarchy’ will look exactly remains unclear at this time. Still, royal expert and author Richard Eden told Express that the royals have begun speaking candidly about their health issues, which has led us into “uncharted waters.” King Charles is the first-ever monarch to acknowledge having cancer publicly, and as Eden points out: “When his grandfather George VI had cancer, he wasn’t even told himself.”
“We have our Monarch, our head of state, undergoing this extensive cancer treatment,” Eden said. “Clearly, we’re in uncharted waters… but if he needs to visit hospital because he’s feeling a bit under the weather from treatment, which is quite understandable, people do start to worry and panic a bit.”
King Charles won’t hand throne’ to Prince William, claims experts
Several royal experts have stated that Prince William has quietly taken on more duties to support his father behind the doors at Buckingham Palace. Whether or not anyone can claim to be truly ready to become monarch is a matter for debate, but what we do know is that William has been preparing his entire life.
Theoretically, if the Prince of Wales was to assume the throne tomorrow, he would most likely take on the role gracefully. Interestingly, however, some royal experts now claim that William won’t become king anytime soon–because King Charles has no plans to give up the throne.
Speaking with Fox News, royal expert Hilary Fordwich stated that William intends to help lighten Charles’ workload as much as possible as the king continues his cancer treatments.
“Prince William has been assuming more responsibilities and there have been preparations for more transitions of responsibility. Both Prince William and Princess Catherine have been readying to assume leadership roles with an accelerated schedule of preparation for their future positions as king and queen. But most certainly, they are not in any way actively seeking an immediate ascension,” Fordwich told Fox.
“Abdication would be a significant departure from all tradition”
“The entire family, all senior roles, are more focused on the best interests of the monarchy’s stability and continuity, hence all being content with the gradual transition rather than any immediate decisions. The only definite thing is that an abdication would be a significant departure from all tradition.”
The royal expert continued by saying that addiction isn’t something the Royal Family deals with. The last time a monarch abdicated—Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle, Edward VIII—it caused “a constitutional crisis.”
Moreover, British royal broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti told Fox that it is “unlikely” that King Charles will step away from his royal duties any more than “strictly necessary.”
“Of course, he is not a youngster, and the example of his late mother’s older years shows that, when needed, the royal family can accommodate sharing the burden, if necessary,” Sacerdoti said. “But just as Queen Elizabeth II continued to work well into her old age, and even when she was not entirely healthy, I am sure that the king will want to do the same and keep going as much as is possible.”
He added; “King Charles will never abdicate through his own volition, especially as he has waited a lifetime to become monarch,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.
Expert says that Charles should give William more royal duties
According to Majesty Magazine’s editor-in-chief, Ingrid Seward, Charles should consider leaving more significant missions to his son and heir.
“The trouble is, he’s been so conditioned to work that I don’t think he functions unless he’s working,” Seward told Newsweek. “When he’s not working, he’s probably a bit all over the place… He’s always working, and it’s just not his nature to take an afternoon nap, which I’m sure Camilla is trying to make him do.”
“Cancer treatment makes you very, very tired. The trouble is it’s his duty as monarch to do these stifling, boring handshakes with incoming and outgoing ambassadors. How boring that must be,” she added. “I would think that’s very exhausting, but the only way he could slow down is if someone took over some of his official roles as monarch. If someone could take some of that away from him, I think his life would be easier.”
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