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.
King Charles III (L) photographed at Sandhurst Military Academy, April 14, 2023. And Prince William (R) and Princess Anne (inset) photographed on the day of the king’s coronation, May 6, 2023. A new book has… DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES/ LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/DAN MULLAN/GETTY IMAGES
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.
