King Charles III's only sister, Princess Anne, has been quoted in a new royal biography which claims the new monarch "bristles" at the suggestion he is acting as a "caretaker" of the throne until such a time as Prince William can take over.
There was renewed discussion about the prospect of Charles one day abdicating in favor of his eldest son in Britain this month, prompted by the change of throne in Denmark, which saw 83-year-old Queen Margrethe II retire in a shock abdication, being succeeded by her son, the new King Frederik X, and his wife, Queen Mary.
Charles, 75, acceded in September 2022, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. Some members of the British public believed at the time that the throne should have bypassed Charles and gone to William, who is more popular.
In May 2022, four months before Queen Elizabeth's death, a YouGov poll found that 57 percent of Brits thought Charles would do a "good job" as king. This was opposed to 77 percent who thought William would do a "good job." In the same month, 37 percent said that William should succeed his grandmother, while 34 percent said it should be Charles.
Now, a new biography of Charles, titled The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy by Robert Harman, due to be published in Britain on Thursday, has revealed how the king and key royal insiders feel about the subject.
"If there is one thing that causes King Charles to bristle, it is commentators claiming he will be a caretaker until his heir—the 'change-maker'—takes over," Hardman wrote in an extract published by the Daily Mail. "Those close to the King say that this is demonstrably wrong."
According to the author, Charles' sister, Anne, takes a pragmatic line on this subject, stating that there is an inherent benefit to taking on the crown later in life. Notably, William celebrated his 41st birthday in June of last year.
"'When you start much later in your life, inevitably you've got more experience to fall back on and you will have more opinions,'" she is quoted as saying.
Another cited course is Queen Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot, who agreed. "'People keep talking about 'he's a caretaker,'" she said of Charles. "'And I don't see that at all, knowing we'll see quite a few changes.'"
As for William, he has said little himself on the prospect of becoming king and when exactly that might be. In a 2016 interview with the BBC, he explained that he doesn't "lie awake" hoping for the day he takes to the throne.
"I think the royal family has to modernize and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant," the prince explained in the interview marking Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday.
"That's the challenge for me, is how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years time. You know, it could be 40 years time, it could be 60 years time, I have no idea when that's going to be and I certainly don't lie awake waiting or hoping for it because it sadly means that my family have moved on and I don't want that."
So far, the prince and the king have not commented on Hardman's book or the claims made within it.
The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy by Robert Hardman is published in the United States by Pegasus Books.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith 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.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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