Some Think King Charles May Step Down Early

A shocking move by the Queen in Denmark may have set the stage for King Charles stepping down to allow his son and heir Prince William to assume the British throne.

First, as royal watchers know, typically the throne changes hands only when a monarch passes away.

But on New Year’s Day, 83-year-old Queen Margrethe II of Denmark revealed that she is stepping down as of Jan. 14 so that her son, Crown Prince Frederik, can take over.

Now, royal biographer Phil Dampier says this decision has potential implications for how the 75-year-old King will act in the coming years. Will he step down, unlike his mother, Queen Elizabeth II?

According to this expert on the family, the answer may be “yes”.

As Phil told the Daily Mail, about the announcement about the future of the Danish throne, “It must make you wonder if in five or ten years” the British royal will take a cue from the Queen in Denmark and allow William and Kate to assume the throne well before he had the opportunity.

“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,” the royal expert opined.

He had more to say about the newly appointed Prince and Princess of Wales too, telling the British outlet, “William and Kate get on very well with Frederik and [his wife] Mary and will be among the first to congratulate them. They will be fascinated to see how they get on as King and Queen and it will make them think about their future as well.”

Queen Elizabeth II sat the British throne for an incredible near 71 years. Her son and heir apparent, the former Prince of Wales, spent many, many years twiddling his thumbs as she ruled the United Kingdom until her death in Sept. 2022.

Indeed, King Charles was 73 when he finally became monarch, which made him the oldest sovereign in British history to do so.

At present, Prince William is 41 — young, to be sure in comparison to his father’s age when he became King, but still far older than his grandmother’s 25 years of age when she became Queen upon her father’s death.

If the present King lives until 96 as his mother did before him, William could end up in the same boat as his predecessor, sitting idly by for two decades, waiting to take his place as the head of the British family.

Of course, only time will tell if King Charles actually decides to step down like Queen Margrethe, or if he will follow in his mother’s footsteps and reign until his death.

Either way, we will surely be watching with our usual level of peak fascination over all things royal!