King Charles Faces Calls to Hand Crown to Prince William

King Charles III has faced calls to one day abdicate and pass the throne to Prince William less than a year after his historic coronation.

The monarch, 75, endured years of speculation that the crown would skip him in favor of his more popular son during the later years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

Sixteen months after becoming king, the abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has prompted British news outlets to discuss whether he will step down, paving the way for King William and Queen Catherine.

What the Media Says

Former U.K. lawmaker Stephen Pound of the Labour Party told normally royalist GB News: "I think it would be a wonderful thing. He would save the monarchy."

"The monarchy is in a state of crisis at the present time," he added. "We have had possibly the worst few years since her late Majesty passed on.

"Would it be a wonderful thing if King Charles actually said, 'I think it's time for a reset? I think it's time for me to step back. I've done my best, I've been a faithful and loyal servant. But now let's step back and let a new generation take over.'

"Let's give the monarchy an injection for the future. Let's give them a restart. Let's kick-start the monarchy. I don't think we should elect the king and queen on popularity polls."

The Guardian ran an opinion piece headlined: "King Charles should follow Denmark's example—and tell us when he'll abdicate."

Even the famously royalist Daily Mail got involved as royal author Phil Dampier told the newspaper: "It must make you wonder if, in five or ten years' time, King Charles might think about doing the same [as Queen Margrethe II] if his health suffers or he just thinks it is a good time to pass on to William and Kate while they are still young.

"Our late Queen would never abdicate because of what happened in 1936 when her uncle abdicated, and her father came to the throne. But times change."

Margrethe, 83, surprised Denmark by revealing she would step down, citing ill health related to a recent back operation, at 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve as her subjects across the country had been preparing to celebrate the holiday.

The Case for a British Abdication

Margrethe's decision means her son, Crown Prince Frederik, can take the throne at age 55, while Charles took on the job for the first time at 74—eight years older than Britain's official State Pension age of 66.

Prince William is currently 41, meaning that if Charles were to serve 20 years as sovereign until age 94, then he would be in his 60s by the time he wore the crown.

YouGov polling in September, when Charles completed his first year as king, showed both William and Kate Middleton are more popular, however.

Prince William was liked by 74 percent and disliked by 20 percent, giving him a net approval rating of plus 52. Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales was liked by 72 percent and disliked by 15 percent, putting her on plus 57.

King Charles was liked by 60 percent and disliked by 32 percent, leaving him on plus 28, while Camilla was liked by 47 percent and disliked by 42 percent, putting her on plus 5.

However, abdications have a difficult history in Britain after Edward VIII's decision to step down to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson caused a constitutional crisis in 1936.

Challenges to the Pressure to Abdicate

Charles served 70 years as the heir to the throne and is very unlikely to abdicate any time soon, if at all.

For a start, it was only in May that Britain held his coronation at an estimated cost of up to £100 million (around $126 million).

If he stepped down too soon, the palace would, therefore, be handing a golden opportunity to the anti-monarchy campaign Republic to frame the institution as a waste of money.

Graham Smith, chief executive of the pressure group, told Newsweek: "I think they'll want another coronation. I think they're completely tone-deaf and are very keen on priding themselves.

"I think they'll do something, whether or not its the same I don't know but I think its unlikely they won't do one unless we have shifted the debate so far."

Charles would have to want to step down, and there have long been discussions about whether he would ever be king or whether he would prefer to simply pass the baton straight to William.

Ingrid Seward, author of Prince Philip Revealed, recently told Newsweek: "I don't think Britain will see an abdication. Just because the European royal families are doing it that doesn't mean we're going to start doing it."

And she suggested it might not necessarily be in William's best interests either: "Charles has always said he wants William to enjoy a bit of family life and a bit of private life because once you're king, there is no such thing as private life."

What is perhaps more telling about the recent media coverage, however, is how willing pro-royal outlets like GB News and the Daily Mail were to engage in speculation about Charles' future so early into his reign.

The real pressure to abdicate will only truly build if the monarchy in Britain begins to fail, but that may not be as unlikely as once it was as the public opinion has been moving in the wrong direction for the palace.

In November, Republic commissioned a poll by research agency Savanta of a representative sample of 2283 British adults.

Fifty-two percent said they wanted to keep the monarchy compared to 34 percent who wanted an elected head of state. Among 18-24 year olds the figure was even worse, with 36 percent wanting to keep the monarchy and 49 percent wanting to scrap it.

If those young people do not change their views as they get older, the pressure to abdicate may get considerably stronger as time passes.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.