King Charles won't hand throne to Prince William as monarchy shake-up could spark 'crisis': experts
Prince William has been quietly taking on more duties to support his father behind palace doors, raising questions about whether the monarch would ever step down to prioritize his health.
But according to several royal experts, King Charles, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, has no plans to give up the throne anytime soon. And William fully supports him as he steps up to the plate as heir.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich stressed to Fox News Digital that William's intention is to help lighten his father's workload as the monarch continues his treatments while taking on duties at the same time.
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The last time a royal abdicated, it caused a "crisis" in the U.K., something "The Firm" won't want to repeat, she said.
Fox News Digital contacted Kensington Palace, which handles the Prince of Wales's office, for comment.
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"Prince William has been assuming more responsibilities and there have been preparations for more transitions of responsibility," said Fordwich.
"Both Prince William and Princess Catherine have been readying to assume leadership roles with an accelerated schedule of preparation for their future positions as king and queen. But most certainly, they are not in any way actively seeking an immediate ascension," she stressed.
"The entire family, all senior roles, are more focused on the best interests of the monarchy's stability and continuity, hence all being content with the gradual transition rather than any immediate decisions. The only definite thing is that an abdication would be a significant departure from all tradition."
Fordwich noted that abdication isn't typically the norm for the British royal family. The last one, which involved Queen Elizabeth II's uncle, Edward VIII, caused "a constitutional crisis," she noted.
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"Given his mother's values, King Charles is most likely to do all he can to continue serving, dedicating himself to duty," she said.
In 1936, Edward declared in an explosive broadcast to a stunned nation that he was voluntarily abdicating the throne, the first English monarch to do so, to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson, the BBC reported. This resulted in George VI being king and the former Princess Elizabeth suddenly finding herself next in line.
Fordwich's statement came shortly after Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of "My Mother and I," told Newsweek that the monarch should consider allowing William to take on more significant roles as heir on his behalf. However, Seward noted that the 76-year-old is too much of a workaholic and won't give up the throne anytime soon.
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"The trouble is, he's been so conditioned to work that I don't think he functions unless he's working," she told the outlet. "When he's not working, he's probably a bit all over the place… He's always working, and it's just not his nature to take an afternoon nap, which I'm sure Camilla is trying to make him do."
Still, Seward stressed that the king is still a cancer patient.
"Cancer treatment makes you very, very tired," she said. "The trouble is it's his duty as monarch to do these stifling, boring handshakes with incoming and outgoing ambassadors. How boring that must be. I would think that's very exhausting, but the only way he could slow down is if someone took over some of his official roles as monarch."
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"If someone could take some of that away from him, I think his life would be easier," Seward added.
In late March, Charles canceled planned engagements on the advice of his doctors, Buckingham Palace said, without providing details about the "temporary side effects" that he experienced. The episode was a reminder that the king continues to undergo treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer diagnosed more than a year ago.
That reality has slipped away from the collective consciousness since last spring when Charles returned to public duties after stepping away for almost three months to focus on his initial treatment and recovery. In the intervening months, he has attended D-Day commemoration events in France, presided over the State Opening of Parliament and even embarked on a nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa.
During the early stages of his treatment, Charles continued fulfilling his constitutional duties as head of state, including reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister.
And after being briefly hospitalized in late March this year, Charles was again back at work.
On Monday, Charles arrived in Rome for a state visit to Italy. He was traveling with his wife, Queen Camilla, for a three-day visit, which included the first address to the Italian Parliament of a British monarch, visits with the Italian president and premier and a side trip to Ravenna to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Adriatic city's liberation by Allied forces.
A planned meeting with Pope Francis was initially postponed by mutual agreement due to the pope's bout with double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff returned to the Vatican two weeks ago and made a surprise appearance in St. Peter's Square.
But on April 9 – Charles and Camilla's 20th wedding anniversary – they met privately with the pope at the Vatican. The pope issued a new invitation for a private audience, but it was only confirmed that Wednesday morning.
The king is expected to press ahead with his work in the coming days.
"It seems unlikely that the king will want to step back from his duties any more than is strictly necessary," British broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti told Fox News Digital. "Though he had to cancel some engagements recently, it caused very minimal disruption to his otherwise busy schedule. He has always been clear that his work ethic compels him to be as busy as possible."
"Of course, he is not a youngster, and the example of his late mother's older years shows that, when needed, the royal family can accommodate sharing the burden, if necessary," Sacerdoti shared. "But just as Queen Elizabeth II continued to work well into her old age, and even when she was not entirely healthy, I am sure that the king will want to do the same and keep going as much as is possible."
Charles ascended to the throne upon the death of his mother. Queen Elizabeth II, England's longest-reigning monarch, died in 2022 at age 96. Her last official duty was appointing Liz Truss as prime minister on Sept. 6, 2022, at Balmoral Castle. The queen passed away two days later at the Scottish estate.
"King Charles will never abdicate through his own volition, especially as he has waited a lifetime to become monarch," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.
King Charles Seen In Public Day After Hospital Stay For Side Effects From Cancer Treatment
"He enjoys the role and the values it brings to Camilla as queen," he shared. "Behind the scenes, I am sure discussions are being held in case the king's conditions worsen to an extent where he cannot complete even the smallest tasks. But in reality, we are not at that stage yet."
"There have been more reports that, again, behind the scenes, William and Kate are preparing for their eventual roles," Turner continued. "Of course, this fuels more speculation about the king's health. I hope he remains on the throne as he has many good qualities and crowds on royal engagements adore him."
A royal aide previously told Newsweek that Camilla was the only one who had any success asking the king to slow down.
WATCH: HOW QUEEN CAMILLA WENT FROM VILIFIED MISTRESS TO BELOVED DAUGHTER-IN-LAW
"She can jolly him along with great affection – and at the other end of the spectrum, she's about the only person in the universe who can try to rein him back when he's undertaking too much because of his insatiable appetite for work," the insider claimed.
The aide added that Camilla is only "partially" successful.
Seward does feel hopeful about the king's health.
"He's always been driven, and he's strong," she told the outlet. "This cancer has weakened him, but I think he's fine."Original article source: King Charles won't hand throne to Prince William as monarchy shake-up could spark 'crisis': experts
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