The obsession with the royal family has only grown in recent years, and one thing people
are wondering about is the line of succession.
Here's what will happen when Prince William becomes king.
Before Prince William can become king, someone has to die.
Prince William won't immediately ascend to the throne after Queen Elizabeth, as his father,
Prince Charles, is next in line to the crown.
So, in fact, both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles will unfortunately have to pass on
before Prince William can become king.
And when that happens, the country, and world, will mourn.
According to Town & Country, when the Queen passes away, there are certain protocols that
will be followed.
First of all, there will likely be a 12-day period of mourning throughout all of Britain.
Additionally, it's suspected that Queen Elizabeth's body will lie in a coffin in Westminster Hall
until her funeral so people can pay their respects.
While that's what will happen when Queen Elizabeth passes away, it's also likely the protocol
that will be followed when Prince Charles passes away once he's king.
So, before Prince William becomes king, the nation will have mourned twice over, and Prince
William himself will have lost a grandmother and father; he'll be mourning himself as well.
Because the scenario in which Prince William becomes king is still pretty far off, there
are a lot of hypothetical scenarios out there that Prince William himself has shrugged off.
For instance, many people wonder what his official title will be once he ascends to
the throne, as it's more complicated than just "King William."
First of all, when someone becomes king or queen, they basically have the power to change
their name to whatever they want, according to Town & Country.
Queen Elizabeth's father was named Albert, but when he became king, he decided to go
by King George.
Prince William's name prior to becoming king is already a mouthful.
According to Britannica, it's William Arthur Philip Louis, duke of Cambridge, earl of Strathearn
and Baron Carrickfergus, so whatever he chooses to go by will hopefully be a little less complicated.
The entire world was pretty obsessed with the royal family when Prince William got engaged
to his future bride, Kate Middleton.
After all, Middleton wasn't a member of any royal family, and the two had quite the love
story.
In fact, Middleton was the very definition of a modern-day Cinderella story, and when
she and Prince William got married, she actually became the Duchess of Cambridge, a pretty
impressive title.
However, when Prince William becomes king one day, Middleton will no longer be the Duchess
of Cambridge, and she also won't be referred to as "Kate" at all.
Once her husband ascends to the throne and chooses his own title, Middleton will also
change her title.
It's unclear whether or not Middleton will get to choose her title like Prince William
will, but according to Town & Country she'll likely go by Queen Catherine, quite the dignified
name if there ever was one.
The specific duties of the royal family obviously vary from person to person, but pretty much
all of its members have to travel far more often than the average person.
Whether on official duty, or to make appearances with other state officials, the royals spend
plenty of time on planes.
And when Prince William becomes king in the future, not only will he likely travel so
much more than he does as a mere prince, but he'll also be able to pack just a little lighter.
In fact, according to Express, whoever is the king or queen doesn't need a passport
to travel to other countries.
Interestingly enough, Kate Middleton will still need a passport, and William will likely
have to answer certain security questions before taking off.
Still, it's one less thing for the future king to worry about.
It's no secret that one of the absolute biggest perks of becoming a member of the royal family
is that you no longer have to stress about money, or even think about working a regular
job.
For that reason, being a royal is pretty much a dream come true, and part of that dream
includes jewels — lots and lots of jewels.
In the British tradition, the so-called crown jewels belong to the Queen and the Queen only.
"Oh you see, it's much smaller, isn't it?"
As it stands, Middleton gets to borrow certain pieces of jewelry from Queen Elizabeth for
special occasions.
But once William becomes king, and Middleton becomes Queen Catherine, she will gain access
to all of the crown jewels, according to Cafe Mom.
Yes, all of them.
The noteworthy pieces, including tiaras, crowns, rubies, emeralds and so many diamonds will
all be items that Middleton can choose from.
As important as the British royal family is, it's also interesting to note that even the
highest-ranked royals don't have a whole lot of political power.
Specifically, as the Royal UK website notes, Queen Elizabeth is the head of state, and
is to remain politically neutral.
The queen doesn't vote and she isn't elected into any sort of office, either.
However, she does have ceremonial roles, and when it comes to Parliament, the British body
of government, she's very involved.
So, then, will be Prince William when he becomes king.
Additionally, there's a formal phrase, "Queen in Parliament" which is a descriptive term
for "the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the
House of Commons."
While the queen doesn't have political power, she does open the sessions of Parliament,
and approves Orders and Proclamations as well.
So, when Prince William is king, he'll then take over those duties and become just as
involved in Parliament as his grandmother.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes the nation of Britain will see once Prince William becomes
king is that the national anthem will be different.
For so long, the British national anthem has been "God save the Queen," with more lines
following focused on the queen.
However, when Prince William becomes king, that will obviously not be necessary.
As Express reported, the future national anthem will swap "Queen" for "King."
As interesting as that fact is, that's not the only change.
You see, following William, his son, Prince George is next in line to be king.
And he won't be the first George to be king of England one day.
In fact, the national anthem itself first came about during the reign of King George
II in 1745, meaning William's son could one day have the original lyrics sung for him,
which starts with "God save great George our king."
Let's just get one thing straight: Prince William and Kate Middleton definitely don't
live in a tiny shack in England.
In fact, after they got married, the pair moved into an apartment at Kensington Palace.
However, once Prince William becomes king, their residence will change.
Obviously, they'll still live in a palace, but their upgrade will be a lot bigger, and
a whole lot more prestigious.
In fact, ever since Queen Victoria's reign, the British monarchs have all lived in Buckingham
Palace in London.
"I can't believe we're at Hogwarts.
No, that's Buckingham Palace."
To that end, once Prince William ascends to the throne, it's likely that he will also
move in, according to Cafe Mom.
However, the family could actually move to Buckingham Palace before William becomes king,
since his father, Prince Charles, is reportedly planning on staying at Clarence House when
he becomes king.
While you might automatically associate being a member of the royal family with money, fame,
power, and a calendar full of fancy events to attend, there's one part of being royal
that doesn't sound all that exciting.
And only the king and the queen have to deal with it, so once Prince William becomes king
himself, he'll also learn of the seriously annoying tradition he has to follow: Being
woken up by bagpipes.
"One, two, three, four,"
The Piper of the Sovereign, as the bagpiper is known, has been playing for the king or
queen since 1843.
According to Hello! magazine, he or she always travels with the queen, so they don't even
need an alarm clock abroad.
Well, that's one way to start the day!
Much like the king or queen of England doesn't hold a lot of political authority throughout
Britain, they also don't have a ton of authority, period — well, at least when it comes to
laws.
You see, while the kings and queens of Britain's past could certainly make laws and govern
over the nation, the modern monarchy of England is more symbolic than anything else.
When Prince William becomes king, he can't make any new laws on his own.
Specifically, according to the Royal UK website, the king or queen of Britain is the Head of
State, and in that instance, is what's known as "a constitutional monarchy."
Basically, even though the king or queen might be known as the Head of State, the only way
legislation is created and passed is within Parliament, the members of which have elected
positions.
So, when William is king, he won't just be able to create new laws without the help of
Parliament, despite being the literal king of England and pretty much getting anything
else he might want.
"I am the king!"
Being a member of the royal family doesn't come cheap, and keeping up with the Cambridges
is a hefty task.
After all, it must cost a lot to buy all the proper clothes and shoes, as well as attend
the best private schools and colleges.
But obviously, Prince William doesn't really have to worry about that.
According to Town & Country, William is worth an estimated $40 million, and his income has
only grown over the years.
However, once William becomes king, he and Kate Middleton will see an even bigger increase
to their wealth.
According to Cafe Mom, the king receives a paycheck from the Duchy of Lancaster of around
$20 million, but that's not all.
William will also get any inheritance from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and his
father, Prince Charles, by the time he's king.
So basically, William will be swimming in cash once his coronation rolls around.
Though it might just be a small change, one thing Prince William can look forward to when
he takes the crown is one less etiquette rule he'll have to follow.
Specifically, William won't have to bow to anyone anymore when he becomes king.
While it is royal etiquette to bow to the queen when you meet her, or whoever is the
current British monarch, that will change for William when takes the throne.
Before, William would have to bow to all other senior family members such as his grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth, and his father, Prince Charles.
After that, there will be no more of that.
And as for William's wife, Kate Middleton will only have to curtsy to him, and no one
else.
But while the monarch of Britain doesn't have to bow to anyone else in the royal family,
the rules differ when they meet members of other royal families across the world, as
noted by Insider.
Still, once he's king, Prince William can kiss bowing goodbye.
Mostly.
While Prince William still won't be able to create laws or change too much when he becomes
King of England, one thing he will be able to do is possibly appoint a new Prime Minister.
Really, it's complicated, but the king or queen is pretty involved with the Prime Minister,
which makes sense, as they're both important figures in Britain.
But, as it stands, this important royal duty is only executed under certain circumstances.
Specifically, according to the Royal UK website, the king or queen appoints the Prime Minister
when necessary, as well as meets with them on official business whenever it's required.
So, when William takes over the duties of King of England, he may also appoint a new
Prime Minister, which would be a pretty big deal.
That's just one more way in which his life will be different after his coronation.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite royals are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.