No, Prince Charles Will Not Step Aside for Prince William to Be King

Prince Charles — not his son, Prince William — is England's new monarch.

Amid the Thursday news of Queen Elizabeth's death at age 96, many have wondered whether the Prince of Wales, 73, will step aside for the Duke of Cambridge, 40, to succeed her on the throne.

But in April 2018, Queen Elizabeth made the rare move of publicly backing Charles as the next Commonwealth leader, formally asking the Commonwealth Heads of Government to appoint Charles as her successor of the association of Britain and its former colonies.

Even if the Queen had desired to skip Charles in favor of William, she did not have the power to choose her successor on a whim. The 1701 Act of Settlement is the act of Parliament that determines the succession to the throne and requires that a monarch's heir must be his or her direct successor (and a Protestant). That's Charles, not William.

And as the Queen does not truly have any political power, it was not up to her to change a law — instead, it would have to be taken up in Parliament, and it wouldn't be a quick and easy process.

Queen Elizabeth also said earlier this year that when Charles becomes the monarch, she wants his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to be known as Queen Consort.

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In a February message timed to the eve of her Accession Day that this year marked the 70th anniversary of her becoming monarch, the Queen wrote that "when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."

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In a July interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, Camilla praised her late father-in-law, Prince Philip, for the example he showed about how to be a consort and support the monarch and recognized that it must have been difficult for the "macho" naval commander to take a step back.

"I learned that your place is several feet behind the monarch," added the Duchess of Cornwall, 75. "You're there as a back-up."