It’s inevitable that Prince William will become the king of England someday – that is how the line of succession works, after all, and his dad King Charles obviously isn’t immortal. But could he end up stepping up to take the throne even earlier than expected? According to one royal expert, the chances are high enough of this happening that they’re already preparing for William to become king.
Charles is already 76 years old, and although his mother Queen Elizabeth lived to be 96, his cancer diagnosis last year has had people worried about his health. As royal author Tom Quinn told Harper’s Bazaar, royal officials began their “succession planning” even before Charles’ diagnosis came to light.
“I mean, he’s the oldest Prince of Wales to become king in history, so succession planning had begun before Charles came to the throne simply because of the age issue,” Tom said, via the magazine.
This means William is already preparing to step into his dad’s role, and The Firm is already “giving him more of the sort of work that Charles would do.”
Tom also said that this is nothing that the king doesn’t already think about himself, adding, “Charles knows that he isn’t going to be king for that long.”
“Officials and aides – people who work very closely with William and Kate and Charles – they’re all conscious that William might have to become king earlier than expected,” Tom told Harper’s Bazaar. “Partly the cancer, partly simply [because Charles is] 76. He could go on another 10 years, he could go on for 20 years. But with the cancer diagnosis, it’s a wake-up call.”
Because Charles is still undergoing treatment for cancer, he does need to take it easier than he would otherwise, and another royal expert, Robert Hardman, said Queen Camilla doesn’t think he’s relaxing nearly enough.
“The pace of this reign hasn’t changed since it started,” Robert told the news outlet. “Life is carrying on as it would’ve done if he hadn’t had the cancer. I think the best way of putting it is he’s living with cancer, rather than suffering from cancer.”
It’s good to hear that Charles is making the most of his time as king, and he does seem to be doing as well as can be expected – for now, at least.
