Why Prince William Might Not Be King For A Long Time And Abdicate For George

With rules in place, succession to the British throne is set up to work like clockwork. Thus, the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, will eventually be replaced by her heir apparent, Prince Charles, who will in time be replaced by the second in line to the throne, Prince William, until he turns the reins of power to his firstborn, Prince George.

Since the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on Oct. 13, 2016, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning living monarch in the world and has been in power for 67 years now and counting. This also makes Prince Charles the longest-serving heir apparent in the world as he has been the second in line to the throne for the same length of time.

However, some believe that Prince George won’t serve as the heir apparent for long when his father, Prince William, becomes king. The reason for this is that the latter might opt to retire early and abdicate for his child.

A royal family expert believes that William might be the first monarch ever to voluntarily abdicate in favor of an offspring. While his great-great grand uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, he was forced to do it so he could marry Wallis Simpson.

“I think he will probably be the first king who voluntarily abdicates in favour of his son,” royal family expert Andrew Morton said. “William always refers to his position as a job.”

Apparently, William might not be too attached to his future role as the monarch. As Morton pointed out, the Duke of Cambridge “never calls it a calling, which is significant because it indicates there’s a retirement point.”

Surprisingly, it’s not only William who’s a “reluctant” member of the royal family. Even his younger brother once said that he didn’t really want the life of a royal.

“If you’re born into [the royal family], as we were [also speaking for William], I think it’s normal to feel as though you don’t really want it,” Prince Harry told biographer Angela Levine. “They [those who have sought fame] have a natural talent. We don’t.”

But before William can pass the throne on to George, big changes are likely to happen to the monarchy once Prince Charles becomes the monarch after Queen Elizabeth II. Charles has always been vocal about his desire of “streamlining” the royalty, which reportedly caused a rift between him and his younger brother Prince Andrew.