Long live the King! Well, King Charles III has already lived a pretty long life — and
some can't help but wonder what will happen to the monarchy after he inevitably passes.
"Three cheers for His Majesty, The King."
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
When Queen Elizabeth II died, Prince Charles immediately ascended to the throne, although it
will be a while before his actual coronation takes place. During the final part of Queen Elizabeth's
funeral at St. George's Chapel on September 19, there was a poignant moment when the crown
jeweler removed the state crown, orb, and scepter from the queen's coffin. They now belong to King
Charles III, according to The National, but were quickly returned to the Tower of London
to be put on display for all to see. In fact, the new monarch won't meet them again until the crown
is placed on his head and the orb and scepter are put in his hands during the coronation ceremony.
While there is no confirmed date yet, The Telegraph explains it will take months to
organize — but more importantly, the new king is expected to wait an appropriate amount of time as
a sign of respect for his late mother. According to the outlet, Charles is likely to choose spring
or summer 2023, although it may prove to be longer. Queen Elizabeth, for one, waited 16
months to be crowned after her father's death. Given that Charles was 73 years old when he became
king and that he now needs to wait to receive his crown, his coronation is not guaranteed.
When King Charles III dies, one thing is almost certain:
He will receive a state funeral. As Business Insider explains,
British royals, as well as their consorts, are automatically granted state funerals,
unless they specifically choose to not have one. That was actually the case with Prince Philip.
"Normally, this would have been a large, national event
here in the U.K. Prince Philip himself did not want that."
Still, it's most likely Charles will opt for his to be a state funeral.
If so, it will be planned by The Earl Marshal,
who is in charge of putting together all state ceremonies, including coronations.
While actual details are unknown, one can assume there will be many similarities between
Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and her son's, as long-lasting traditions are sure to be carried
on. For one, King Charles' coffin is likely to be transported using the state gun carriage of
the Royal Navy, which carried his mother's coffin through the various royal processions
and was also used at the funeral of her father, King George VI. Also likely is that there will
be a lying-in-state, allowing people to pay their final respects. However, Vanity Fair notes that a
monarch can refuse this portion of proceedings, as was the case with Queen Victoria in 1901.
According to the BBC, other keystone elements of a royal funeral include a military procession and
a service at Westminster Abbey, both of which we are likely to see following Charles' death.
Upon her husband's ascension to the throne, Camilla's title changed from Duchess of Cornwall
to Queen Consort Camilla. As Cosmopolitan points out, while the title contains the word "queen,"
its function is hugely different from an actual queen's because while a queen reigns, a queen
consort is simply the spouse of a reigning king. That means she doesn't have any actual powers
when it comes to ruling and decision-making. Even so, she is likely to get her own special
moment in the spotlight come coronation day because, as the royal family website explains —
"A queen consort is crowned with the king, in a similar but simpler ceremony."
Given her limited influence, many have wondered what would happen to Camilla if King Charles III
were to die before her. If that's the case, she will not remain on the throne but rather, as a
widow, her title will switch to queen dowager, per Cosmopolitan. Once Prince William — who is
next in line to the throne after his father — is crowned, he may choose to honor his stepmother
with the title of queen mother, which is usually reserved for a ruling monarch's widowed mother.
Let's face it: For those of us out of the know,
the royal line of succession can be a little confusing.
"As a non-Royal-watcher, someone's gonna have to explain that to me."
According to the royals' official website, the line of succession to the throne
isn't simply determined by blood. Instead, it also requires a blessing from the government.
As the site explains, following the 1701 Act of Settlement:
"The succession to the throne can be regulated by Parliament,
and that a Sovereign can be deprived of his/her title through misgovernment."
Currently, that line begins with William, the Prince of Wales. Following King Charles III's
death, if Prince William is alive and well and doesn't choose to abdicate, he will automatically
become the United Kingdom's new monarch, just like his father automatically became king following
Queen Elizabeth's death. As for his royal title, he is most likely to become King William V.
Next in line after William are his three children — in order of age thanks to the Succession to the
Crown Act of 2013, which forbade a younger son from skipping over an older daughter:
Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales.
What some may find surprising is that if anything were to happen to William and his family, the line
of succession would then swing to King Charles' second son, Prince Harry, and his children.
The short answer to the common question is yes, it is extremely likely that Prince George will
indeed be the United Kingdom's future king. Once Prince Charles III dies, the royal line of
succession will put Prince William on the throne, followed by his eldest son. As Robert Hazell,
a professor of government and the constitution at the University College London, told Insider:
"There is nothing to prevent William becoming king, other than his own premature death."
In that case, Prince George would become first in line after his grandfather.
It's true that William could choose to abdicate, in which case the crown would
pass straight from King Charles to Prince George, but that is definitely unlikely.
Given the near certainty of his future reign, it's no wonder William and Kate are already getting
their son used to royal life. As a 9-year-old George showed during Queen Elizabeth's funeral,
he is already beginning to take a prominent role in the monarchy. According to Mirror,
William and Kate reportedly decided to tell their eldest son about his future obligations
before he heard of them from anyone else. Royal biographer Robert Lacey told the outlet —
"Sometime around the boy's seventh birthday in the summer of 2020
it is thought that his parents went into more detail about what the little
prince's life of future royal 'service and duty' would particularly involve."
All to prepare him for his transformation into a possible King George VII.