While royal watchers hope that it's a long way away,
the day will likely come when the young Prince George will be crowned King of the United
Kingdom. But did you know his coronation could bring his uncle Harry back home?
Before Prince George could ever be crowned king, his predecessors will need to ensure
there's still a crown for him to wear. Amid King Charles III's assumption of the crown and
the symbolism of Queen Elizabeth II's death, numerous questions about the future of the
monarchy have been raised. Many critics have maintained that the monarchy is out of touch,
too expensive to justify, and unnecessary when it comes to the betterment of Great Britain.
"The principle of hereditary power, I think, is absolutely abhorrent in 2022."
Charles' own coronation was fraught with protestors,
and the stability of the crown has never been as rocky as it is today. With that said,
it's natural to ask if the monarchy will even be around by the time Prince George
could become king, and MSNBC's Hayes Brown shed light on that very question.
Amid the fallout of Elizabeth's death, Brown estimated that Charles and William will
likely witness the centuries-old monarchy disintegrate in their lifetimes, saying,
"The crown and scepter will be costuming, allowing [Charles] to uphold the illusion
that the monarchy still has a role to play in a modern constitutional republic."
Brown elaborated that, while there may have been a resurgence in appreciation
for the royal family given the eventful year they've had, he still predicts that Elizabeth
II will likely go down in history as the last true monarch of the United Kingdom.
Being born into a historic family with ties to one of the longest-lasting monarchies in Europe,
Prince George's youth has played out in the spotlight. Though Prince William and
Princess Catherine have done their best to give George and his siblings a normal childhood,
the young prince was reportedly informed of his important role in society at just 7 years old.
As exposed by royal historian and author Robert Lacey in his book, Battle of Brothers, the Prince
and Princess of Wales have kept the details of the conversation close to their chests. However,
it's likely they told him that, among the many responsibilities he'll have as an adult
member of the royal family, it's likely he will eventually be crowned King of the United Kingdom.
In the years since this conversation, George and his siblings have made regular public appearances
alongside their parents on various occasions. One of his most notable and recent appearances
was at his grandfather's coronation, where he acted as one of the King's royal pages.
William and Kate have also begun giving George an early taste for philanthropy. As William
told the BBC, he and Kate have tried to stress the importance public service plays in a royal's life,
and encouraged their eldest son to begin pursuing social causes
of his own. William elaborated that the young prince may already be following in
his parents footsteps by developing an interest in environmental preservation.
Prince George will only be 10 years old by the end of 2023,
but he's been in the public eye since he was born. From his trip to Australia as a baby,
to his meme-worthy audience with Barack Obama and his important role on King Charles's coronation
day, George is already filling the role of the future king of England quite comfortably.
With so much of his childhood on display, a lot of people have wondered how the prince
feels about his fate. A royal source explained to People that Prince William and Princess Catherine
realize that George is now old enough to have some appreciation for his role in the U.K.'s future,
but they hope his childhood can proceed fairly undeterred by the pressure of his royal status.
However, a representative for William and Catherine further revealed that his parents
were thrilled that George played such a big role at the coronation, saying,
"His parents are very excited and delighted that he is a page. It's something that his parents
have thought long and hard about and are very much looking forward to — and I'm sure George is too."
Meanwhile, royal author Hugo Vickers noted to The Times that George's presence at the
coronation may have been a strategic move by the monarchy to begin conditioning
the young man to get comfortable with major ceremonial involvement.
Charles was the Prince of Wales for the majority of his time as a royal, and when he became king,
he bestowed the title onto William and Princess Catherine. Titles within the royal family are a
big deal — some are allowed to be passed down, while others have to be given.
The Prince of Wales title is one that must be bestowed. For this reason, it's likely that,
when William becomes king, he will pass down the Prince of Wales designation
to George to fulfill a now decades-long precedent for the future kings of England.
As Prince of Wales, George will essentially be a king in training. Despite the connection to the
country of Wales, the designation is more aligned with the actual monarchy and the continuation of
its traditions. As such, George will most likely shadow his father as he rules, much like William
is doing now with Charles, all while carving out his own space within the non-profit sphere.
With King Charles in his 70s and his expected successor, Prince William,
in his 40s, there's a strong likelihood that Prince George
will be well into adulthood by the time it's his turn to wear the crown. However,
on the off chance that tragedy strikes and George needs to be crowned before the age of 18,
another member of the royal family will need to act as regent until their true king comes of age.
Sowho would step in if Prince George became king ahead of his 18th birthday? A regent
needs to be a family member close to the monarch that is already in line for the
crown themselves. Bridgerton fans will recognize that King George III — who was married to Queen
Charlotte — was served by a regent, his son, when he was deemed mentally unfit. His son,
King George IV, assumed the throne nine years after becoming regent.
With this in mind, it might come as a bit of a shock to learn that, according to University
College London, if Prince William died while on the throne and George was still underage,
the role of regent would fall to Prince Harry. Given that all of George's siblings are younger
than him, and Princess Catherine does not have a stake to the throne without her husband,
Harry would be the next adult in line. This position would leave him with the
obligation to step in and act as the monarch until George's 18th birthday.
While there's just a miniscule chance of any of that happening,
George's reign could hypothetically bring Harry back into the Royal fold.
Season 1 of The Crown showed a fictional Queen
Elizabeth II being asked what she would like her regnal name to be.
"Let's not over complicate matters unnecessarily. My name is Elizabeth."
While the scene gave a chilling feeling to the monumental decision,
a monarch can in fact choose a different name than their given one when they take the crown.
Many thought that King Charles III would choose a different name,
given that King Charles II – who was on the throne back in 1660 — was a bit of a mess up
by royal standards. Looking further back in time, King George VI — Queen Elizabeth
II's father — was actually named Albert, but he instead chose George as his regnal name.
So what will young Prince George choose to go by when he takes the crown? He could very
easily become King George VII. However, he could also choose from his other monikers, given that
his full name is George Alexander Louis. Time will tell what he eventually decides to do,
though we can't imagine he'll have to make such a call any time soon.
While it's hard to predict whether the monarchy will actually be around by the
time it's George's turn for the crown, he and his siblings will have the power
to completely alter royalty's role in contemporary society.
One way George could do this would be by distributing his responsibilities of the
monarchy between himself and his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
As Professor Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture,
described to Excess, Prince William and Princess Catherine have already
implemented a similar model by sharing their royal duties between themselves.
If George were to do the same with his brother and sister,
it could revolutionize the monarchy. As Maclaran put it,
"A more collective approach could be quite popular. Why just have one figurehead? Maybe
the emphasis will move more towards the family side. Particularly with the three
Wales children, the emphasis could be less on the individual and more on the three of them."
Maclaren elaborated that, while there could only ever be one true monarch,
a more equal distribution of royal power between George, Charlotte,
and Louis could be a very fitting way to modernize royalty for the evolving political climate.
We've all seen the fallout of Prince Harry's departure from royal life, and Harry seems content
to remain far enough away from the crown to navigate life the way he sees fit. Prince William
and Prince George, on the other hand, are directly in line for the crown. With such a significant
position in the line of succession, what if George decided that he did not want to assume the throne?
There are a couple of things that would happen if this were to be the case. First, George would need
to abdicate the throne as King Edward VIII did in 1936. When Edward decided that he simply could
not live his life without the royally disapproved Wallis Simpson by his side, he gave up the crown,
married her in France, and lived the rest of his life far away from the confines of the monarchy.
If George were to follow in similar footsteps, it's likely that he would be symbolically cast
out of Britain, much like Edward was. The crown, meanwhile, would fall to the next in line to
the throne, George's younger sister Princess Charlotte. Due to the Succession to the Crown
Act passed in 2013, Charlotte's younger brother, Louis, would not circumvent her as the next male
heir in the line of succession, meaning that the responsibility would fall on her.
"So that in future, the order of succession should be determined simply by the order of birth."