This Is How The Royal Family Will Change If Prince Charles Ascends To The Throne
Recently, Prince Charles has been the subject of many conversations. He's the longest-surviving heir apparent and soon might find himself as the King of England. But when Charles ascends to the throne, it begs the question, what will happen to Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton? Keep reading; the answer might be a royal surprise.
Prince Charles Is Queen Elizabeth's Oldest Son
Born in 1948, Prince Charles is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He has been heir apparent to the throne of England since 1952, and he might be realizing a reign as king soon.
But that begs the question, when the Prince of Wales takes his place on the throne, what happens to Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate Middleton? Do they get new titles and new duties within the royal family?
William Will Become Heir To The Throne
The biggest change is that once Prince Charles ascends to the throne, Prince William is going to become heir, a position the Prince of Wales is all too familiar with. He's been waiting for his time to rule for a few decades, meaning he's pretty familiar with the duties required of him.
Pretty much, Prince Charles has been prepping for his ascension for as long as he can remember and it might happen soon.
Charles Became The First Heir Apparent To Earn A Degree
Prince Charles is well versed in the ways of the royals, having been educated to one day take up the throne. In his youth, Charles attended Cambridge University, graduating in 1970 and becoming the first heir apparent to earn a college degree.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and a few years later, in 1975, he achieved a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge, a prestigious academic ranking from the university.
He Had A Long Military Career
The Royal Air Force has also been a huge part of Prince Charles' life. During his second year at Cambridge, he began training as a jet pilot at the U.K.'s Royal Air Force College and Royal Naval College.
After he completed training, Charles began a naval career, joining the frigates HMS Jupiter and HMS Minerva as well as the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk. He even received helicopter training, joining the 845 Naval Air Squadron.
Charles And Diana Married And Had Two Sons
Then, in 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. And while their relationship was riddled with news headline-worthy drama and scandals, they did something right. They had William and Harry.
The royals raised their sons to lead relatively normal lives, but that doesn't mean they got to skip out on events. Princess Diana would bring both boys with her on routine royal engagements, making sure they understood what would be asked of them when they got older.
Their Divorce Was An Issue For The Royal Family
But the family dynamic shifted a few years later when Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorced. And when Diana ultimately passed away in 1997, the world wondered what was going to happen to her young boys.
Their divorce was a huge point of contention with the royal family. Queen Elizabeth skipped the civil ceremony when Charles married Camilla Bowels in 2005. She did, however, attend the religious ceremony for the union of the couple.
The Queen Believes In Duty Over Family
While the Queen might have wanted to attend the ceremony, she had a sense of duty to the Church of England. During an interview with The Daily Telegraph, a spokesperson for her majesty said, "The Queen feels she has to put her role with the Church before her role as a mother."
Apparently, when it comes to being the head of the royal household, family means everything but a sense of duty overpowers even that.
Does Charles Even Want The Throne?
So is Prince Charles ready to put duty before family? And are Prince William and Duchess Kate ready to take on their new roles within the royal household? The thing is, Charles is the longest-serving heir apparent to the throne.
As 0f 2020, he's 72 years old. Does he even want to ascend to the throne and become the King of England at that age? The title comes with a lot of responsibility.
The Public Favors William For The Throne
His age is one of the main reasons some people believe he might abdicate the throne, handing the title of King directly over to his oldest son, William. It's actually become quite a favored option amongst the public.
A StatistaCharts survey for The Week even calculated that half of the British public would prefer to see William on the throne as the crowned King of England, in favor of Prince Charles.
Princess Diana Questioned Charles On The Throne, Too
Interestingly, the public isn't the only one who questioned Prince Charles's ascension to the throne. While they were married, Princess Diana had a few concerns over it as well. During an interview with journalist Martin Bashir, Diana was asked if she thought Charles would ever become king.
The late Princess said, "I don't think any of us know the answer to that. it's a very demanding role, being Prince of Wales, but it’s an equally more demanding role being king."
Being King Would Take Away Some Freedom
Diana continued in the interview, saying, "Being Prince of Wales produces more freedom now, and being king would be a little bit more suffocating. And because I know the character, I would think that the top job, as I call it, would bring enormous limitations to him – and I don't know whether he could adapt to that."
And going into his mid-70s, who knows if the Prince of Wales is too set in his ways to take over the throne.
The Queen Is Already Giving Charles Some New Responsibilities
Even so, it sounds as though Prince Charles has every intention of ascending to the throne once his mother is through with her reign. Hey, he's waited long enough! In fact, he's the longest-serving heir to the throne in the history of the royal family.
And it looks as though Queen Elizabeth II is well on her way to handing over some of her personal royal responsibilities to her son, prepping him for the title change.
Operation "London Bridge Is Down"
Prince Charles might take up a new title as the King of England, but a lot of people aren't sure what that means exactly. What is going to happen when the Queen passes away? Well, it's reportedly called Operation London Bridge.
When the Queen passes away, the news of her death will be passed around by the phrase "London Bridge is down." The BBC will also be informed via RATS, a Radio Alert Transmission System.
Many Steps Happen Before The Public Will Be Informed
Then, her majesty's personal secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, will notify the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is then responsible for telling the 15 countries and 36 Commonwealth nations of her passing.
This is all before the public knows anything. Once that happens, most people in the UK will have the workday off in order to pay respects to the late monarch. And with all of that, Charles will become king.
Charles Would Immediately Take The Throne
Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles immediately takes his role as King of England. As the new monarch and the son of the late Queen, he will most likely make a statement to the public.
And while he is choosing the name that he wishes to use while ruling (Charles, Philip, George, or Authur) there are other people in the royal family who will be gearing up for a title change.
Charles Has Had Many Titles Through The Years
When Prince Charles takes the throne and becomes King, the title of Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are going to change, too. When George VI died and Elizabeth took on the title of Queen, Charles became the next Duke of Cornwall.
He's also had other titles throughout the years, including Earl of Carrick, Duke of Rothesay, Lord of the Isles, Great Stewart of Scotland, Baron of Renfrew, and the Earl of Chester.
The "Prince Of Wales" Comes With Many Perks
Interestingly, the title of the Prince of Wales was not automatically given to Charles. It actually took Queen Elizabeth six years after she first took the throne to give the prestigious title to her son.
And his other titles come with some nice perks, too! Being the Duke of Cornwall means Charles receives a nice 131,000 acres of properties and land, a nice-looking salary, and even a solid investment portfolio.
William's Title Changed When He Married Kate
But it still begs the question -- if William is going to get a title change? When he was born, both William and Harry received the titles Prince of Wales. But since being married, they've been given new titles, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, respectively.
So the question of the hour is, when Charles takes the throne, does the title of the Prince of Wales then go back to William?
William Will Become The Direct Heir To The Throne
When the Queen passes away, everyone in the royal family moves up in the line of succession, making William the direct heir to his father, Charles. Currently, William holds a few titles, the Duke of Cambridge, the Baron Carrickfergus, and the Earl of Strathearn.
But his responsibilities will change upon Charles' ascent to the throne, meaning his title is going to change, too. As the eldest son, William is about to inherit a whole lot.
There Will Be A New Duke Of Cornwall
As the oldest son of Prince Charles, the prospective new King of England, William will inherit the Duchy of Cornwall as well as the title of the Duke of Cornwall, something that goes to the eldest male of the current reigning monarch.
In fact, William has already been seen attending Duchy meetings, preparing to take his place as the Duke of Cornwall. And that's not the only thing expected of William.
They'll Become The Prince And Princess Of Wales
William and Kate are both expected to take up the new titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Talk about a promotion. Apparently, their transition over to the new Prince and Princess of Wales has been underway since 2018.
In an interview with The Daily Star, the Royal Central Editor Charlie Proctor discussed how both William and Charles are preparing for their new roles and titles within the royal family.
Additional Duties Come With The New Title
During the interview, Royal Central Editor Charlie Proctor said, "As per tradition, when Prince Charles does take to the throne, William and Kate will become the Prince and Princess of Wales, meaning he will take on additional duties to assist the monarch."
"Just like Prince Charles is preparing to become king, William is already preparing to become Prince of Wales, ready for the duties and responsibilities he will have to take on."
William's Also Preparing To Become King
The thing is, since Prince Charles is a bit on the older side, William has to prepare for the inevitable possibility that he will one day, perhaps soon, become king. During the interview with The Daily Star, Proctor continued talking about the Duke of Cambridge's new roles.
He said, "I think it is important to say that just like his father, William is also preparing to become king. There is no chance that William will be Prince of Wales for more than 60 years."
William Has A Lot On His Plate
Proctor then said, "As such, he must also learn the ropes because his time on the throne may come sooner rather than later." Pretty much, William has a lot on his plate right now and has no choice but to think about the future and what his life is going to look like only a few years down the road.
But one thing is certain; the Queen definitely believes her son, Charles, is ready to take the throne.
The Queen Has A Lot Of Faith In Her Son
During Charles' 70th birthday celebration, Queen Elizabeth gave a moving speech about her son. During the toast, she said, "Over his 70 years, Philip and I have seen Charles become a champion of conservation and the arts, a great charitable leader – a dedicated and respected heir to the throne to stand comparison with any in history – and a wonderful father."
It's clear that the Queen thinks the world of her son and trusts him to take up the head of the royal family.
Soon, William Will Be Teaching George
Due to his age, it's no secret that while Charles is fully capable of reigning, he's not going to be on the throne for a long time. This is why William, while starting to take on the responsibilities of being the Prince of Wales, is also beginning to learn what it means to be King.
Amazingly, this means that William one day soon will begin teaching his son, George, the ropes, too!
Some People Don't Think The Queen Will Ever Step Down
However, there are still some people who don't believe Charles will ever sit on the throne, whether or not the Queen abdicates her title. During an interview with Now to Love, the former royal butler Paul Burrell spoke on the matter.
He said, "we will never see King Charles and Queen Camilla sat on the throne of England. Because when the Queen dies, she'll be 100-and-something; she will never abdicate."
Charles Might Be Old But He Wants To Be King
But Burrell didn't stop there. He also said, "When she dies, I think Charles will do the right thing and say, 'I'm far too old for this responsibility.’" That being said, does that actually mean William is ready to take on the role of King?
In his book Charles, Prince of Wales, author Gill Knappett writes about how William has gone on record, saying while he'd like to become king one day, he doesn't want to take the title until he's older.
Not All Royal Family Members Want To Be The Top Monarch
And no one can really blame the Duke of Cambridge. The title of King isn't one to be taken lightly. Even some of his family members have said they wouldn't want to climb all the way up the ladder to the role of top monarch.
But mostly everyone in the royal family has a keen sense of duty to their country and will do what is needed of them when the time comes.
For Now, William And Kate Will Become The Prince And Princess Of Wales
Whatever the case may be in the coming years, both Charles and William can take a lesson or two from the Queen. She never saw her role as a privilege but rather as her civic duty to her countrymen.
For now, she remains on the throne. But, in the future, the world might see Prince Charles finally ascend to the throne as King, with William and Kate becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales.
