Do you think Charles becoming King is very imminent?

[crochetmonkey74]

The Mail are going mad on stories about exactly what will happen, and how it will happen. Now I know it's The Mail but we also know they do seed stuff out to the public

Boris thinks he's above the rules meanwhile Nicola seems to relish in having control over people.
I'd hate either of them to be president. Nicola has turned me into more of a Royalist than anyone.

@Homehunter52 I disagree. I think there's a lot of respect for William and Kate as Royals.

Harry ruined that respect for himself in the eyes of the general public but younger generations still look at William as a future King, and I think he'll be a much-loved monarch.

@Lockdownbear so don’t vote for them! 🤦‍♀️

Our voting system is so broken but it’s still a million times better than handing status, power and privilege just to someone born into the “right” family!

Most people in the UK didn't vote for Boris and the majority in Scotland didn't vote for Nicola either.
But we got landed with them.

Not good for one person or party to have too much power.

@PAFMO

Anyone who thinks Charles will be/is wet really has another think coming. He's the one who 30 odd years ago wanted rid of all the hangers on who really did just show up on the balcony at weddings and do sweet FA the rest of the time while living in 50 room apartments in KP. He's been portrayed as a drip since he was a teenager, yet he wasn't the male royal who left university because of the "pressure" or couldn't hack a stint in the armed forces is he? That appalling actor in The Crown has only contributed to a portrayal of some Mr. Bean parody. We know nothing whatsoever about what kind of King William will be. Charles will do just fine.

Charles is a moderniser and forward thinker. Not only is he the one who has been saying for decades that the Royal Family should be slimmed down (remember the fall out with Andrew because Charles didn't think Beatrice and Eugenie should be Princesses?) he was mocked for his environmental concerns, was at the forefront of organic farming, spoke out against architectural vandalism and started thinking about inclusivity way before it was a thing (he was uncomfortable with the title Defender of The Faith, as it implies there is only one true faith but he has an interest in and recognises other faiths and wishes the title to be amended to Defender of Faiths). He's been reprimanded more than once for expressing personal opinions on matters that could be considered political.

His marital difficulties will continue to dog him but the evidence suggests that he is likely to be a modernising and reforming monarch.

He won't abdicate. He grew up in the aftermath of the abdication crisis. He saw the fallout. He was very close to his grandmother who considered the abdication to be not just a shameful dereliction of duty and a dreadful betrayal of her husband but also that it caused his death. He has been raised to know that his duty is to be king and that it is a duty that continues until you die. Charles remembers that his childhood was adversely affected by his mother's early ascension to the throne, he will not impose that on George.

@Lockdownbear 1558-1603

@sadpapercourtesan

My (limited) experience of death and dying in the very old is that there is often a strong psychological component to the timing. The Queen has lost her husband and has made it as far as the Platinum Jubilee, which may have been an important milestone for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she slipped away quite soon.

I do wonder how the whole coronation and the pageantry around a new monarch, which is steeped in Christianity and quite archaic ideas about kingship, will go over with a 21st century public. It's going to be interesting. I think they've had their time, personally. I find the institution embarrassing and anachronistic. But I do agree with a pp that the British public would still vote to retain it - though I wonder whether that will change, once the Queen has gone.

Yep, This.

He's not really king material we're not living in Disneyland yet, so he most definitely is king material. You get what you're given in this system. Just be thankful he's not his brother.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon a modernising royal is a quite brilliant oxymoron . He’s the very definition of not being a moderniser .

I think the queen's health has been declining quite rapidly in recent months - no surprise given her age, family dramas, lockdowns and the loss of her husband and so sadly I don't think we can expect her to be queen for much longer. I think the Queen is deserving of a lot of respect, regardless of whether you are a royalist or not and I will be very sad when she passes but the fact is she is 96 years old and has experienced alot of hardships over the past year or so and that is going to put strain on her health. Realistically Charles will be preparing to become King relatively soon and even if the Queen does have a few more years in her yet (I hope she does) it is sensible to prepare for the inevitable.

The palace are just using the Jubilee year as a way to celebrate her and prepare everyone for the future. So it’s them seeding rather than the media. Even if she lived to 103 like her mother, it’s not realistic she could continue to be head of state, so Charles will have to be prince regent pretty soon.

I think prising the prize of the throne out of Charles’ hands will be a mission. But agree if she does make the next 5 years the palace might pressure him to step aside for William. If the Queen is in retirement and Charles is regent, her influence and traditional viewpoint will be less central, and the PR benefit of William becoming King might win the day, I guess.

Charles will never, ever step aside for William. Barring his predeceasing of his mother, he will be King.

[quote BeMoreGoldfish]@dipdye they can’t. It simply isn’t an option. Charles wouldn’t abdicate in a month of Sundays. He’s been desperate to be king all his life - and man has he had to wait a long time for his role! 🙄[/quote]
He hasn’t been desperate
He has been indoctrinated since birth that it is his duty

Charles will not put the burden on Williams shoulders unless he absolutely has too, ie his own health failing him.

Charles must also recognise that as much as he wanted to slim the Monarchy without Harry being by Williams side its a little too slim.
William is going to need some support of his own generation. But there is no one obvious to do it. Harry doesn't want to, Peter & Zara too far down the pecking order, Bea & Eugenie tarnished by Andrew, Eds kids too young.

Some of the burden will fall on George's shoulders the minute he becomes an adult. No buzzing around in helicopters for him.

the palace might pressure him to step aside for William

What palace? Charles will essentially be the palace in 5 years time, whether the Queen is still alive or not. He will not abdicate, and I seriously doubt any courtier or government official would suggest such a thing to him.

The Queen Mother lived a long time until 100 plus .However her workload was a lot lighter!

She drank a lot more gin though!

She wasnt newly widowed either so no big adjustment, not in her old age

"It's the Monarchy, not a game of pass the parcel!"

@ShippingNews That made me LOL. I am enjoying this thread, despite the serious subject matter. I think I will feel very sad when the Queen dies though, and I think it will be quite a shock to our collective system.