Charles waited long to become a king, and his son William would ascend the throne in case of Charles’ passing or in case he abdicates, which is very unlikely.
King Charles holds the record of longest-serving monarch-in-waiting in British history, surpassing Edward VII’s record of 59 years. At the same time, he’s the eldest person to be crowned king in Britain.
When he witnessed his mother becoming the head of the monarchy, King Charles was a three-year-old boy. Back then, he was totally unaware that one day he would be the one overtaking the monarchy.
That day arrived with the passing of his mother, late Queen Elizabeth, who ruled the country over 70 years. Her reign spanned 14 US presidencies, from Truman to Joe Biden, and met all but one.
However, during Charles’ reign, the monarchy has faced plenty of issues, including the feud between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the family, him being diagnosed with cancer, and Kate Middleton undergoing a planned abdominal surgery and being diagnosed with cancer herself.
Despite his health struggles, Charles is doing his best to fulfill royal engagements and rule the country, so possible abdication isn’t imminent.
Over the last few decades, several European countries have seen their monarchs abdicate in favor of the younger generation of royals, most recently Denmark, when Queen Margrethe II of Denmark became the first Danish monarch to abdicate in more than 900 years. The country celebrated their new head of the monarchy, King Frederik X, in the capital of Copenhagen on Sunday and the Prince and Princess of Wales have closely followed the events unfolding.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced her abdication on TV during her yearly speech on New Year’s Eve. The nation was shocked because no one expected it. She explained that she believed it was time for her son to take her place. Queen Margrethe II, 83, took the throne after her father, King Frederik IX, died in 1972.
“I will leave the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik,” she said in the televised New Year’s address.
Another reason for this decision was the Queen’s ailing health and her advanced age. In 2023, she had undergone a back surgery and needed time to rest and rehabilitate.
According to royal author Phil Dampier, Charles’ abdication may become a reality in a couple of years, as per the Daily Mail.
“It must make you wonder if in five or ten years’ time, King Charles might think about doing the same if his health suffers or he just thinks it is a good time to pass on to William and Kate while they are still young. Our late Queen would never abdicate because of what happened in 1936 when her uncle abdicated and her father came to the throne. But times change,” he said.
“William and Kate get on very well with Frederik and Mary and will be among the first to congratulate them. They will be fascinated to see how they get on as King and Queen and it will make them think about their future as well.”
The Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins believes King Charles should follow Queen Margrethe steps and do the same.
“Growing old should never be a bar to work, but age does not negotiate. Britain’s King Charles, after a long apprenticeship, has proved an active and popular figure in his term of office. He has shown no sign of ageing, other than perhaps his limp Christmas message. He is certainly entitled to a substantial reign after waiting so long,” Jenkins wrote.
“But not to death. Charles has a successor, William, well-trained and evidently suited for the job. The abdication of Beatrix of the Netherlands to Willem-Alexander in 2013 was an ideal precedent. It prompted an outpouring of gratitude for her reign, a welcome for her son, and a stronger monarchy as a result. The flamboyant conductor André Rieu had the Dutch joyously dancing in the streets in their thousands. There was none of the lugubriousness inevitably attached to Britain’s succession through death.”
Jenkins continued, “Abdication also indicates a nation able to keep its institutions fit for purpose. In slimming down the royal family, Charles has wisely indicated a desire to end such damaging princely sagas as those of Andrew and Harry. But he must surely go further in updating the office he should one day hand over to his son.”
So far, King Charles has tried to both slim down and modernize the monarchy, but in recent years, the public accused the monarchy of being out of touch with current social issues.
Even before he took the new role, Charles announced he would be making changes within the Royal Family. In the past, sources claimed that then Prince Charles spoke of slimming down the monarchy.
“Charles has never made any secret of the fact that he wants a slimmed-down Monarchy when he becomes King. He realizes that the public don’t want to pay for a huge Monarchy and, as he said, the balcony at Buckingham Palace would probably collapse,” he was reported to have said.
Also, Charles has already taken a step towards transforming the royals into a more modern institution by opening up Balmoral to the public.
Still, being at the age he’s in, King Charles is not in touch with the younger generation like William and Kate are.
Even now, Prince William is heavily involved in issues such as global warming.
While King Charles continues to be fully committed to his role of the head of the monarchy, there could be growing speculations in the future about whether or not he should step down and leave the throne to William.
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