Reports that King Charles is writing up his ‘succession plans’ have royal experts worried not only about the state of his health, but also the future plans that could be being put in place for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The royal line of succession is blatantly clear and laid out in such a way that no one can dispute it. Prince William is heir to the throne, with his son Prince George sitting just behind him as second in line to inherit the crown. But there's much more to a monarch's succession plan than simply who is going to replace them.
It's a long, complicated, and 'highly secretive' process to writing up these plans and, according to royal expert and author Tom Quinn, King Charles has just started working on his, throwing worry over the state of his health.
"Officials had assumed Charles would remain healthy at least into his mid-eighties before succession planning would need to begin but in fact it has now begun and indicates perhaps that Charles’ cancer is more dangerous than we have been led to believe," he told The Mirror.
While Prince William is 'at the heart of the succession planning' due to his position as heir, King Charles will have the final say on all plans that go through. But what do those plans include? While it may seem like a simple rearranging of royals, with everyone being bumped up in the line of succession when a new monarch takes the throne, it's not just a shuffle in the deck, it's a complete game changer.
Therefore, the plans will show off a clear and detailed plan for what The Firm and the rest of the royal family should do following the death of the monarch, including a roadmap of sorts to help the new King to transition easily into the role.
So what does that mean for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis? They will likely receive new titles when their dad becomes King but life for both Charlotte and Louis will probably remain the same. While they are known as 'spares,' royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told The Express that she believes the children 'will be encouraged to find their purpose' rather than waiting around to 'see if something happens to the heir.' When their dad is King, Charlotte and Louis will likely have a lot of freedom to see who they are and what they want to do in the world, especially considering William's modern approach to the monarchy.
Life for Prince George, though, could be made a whole lot more difficult. His future will be heavily included in the King's succession plans as not only will he will become heir to the throne upon Charles' death but, if something does happen to King Charles, George will become one of the youngest heirs to thrones in modern history. That comes with a whole lot of pressure.
While his biggest worry at the moment is which secondary school he's going to attend, Prince George's life could be thrown into disarray by the succession plans as his relatively freedom-filled future is replaced by an early introduction into royal duties and the responsibility that comes with the Prince of Wales title he will inherit.
However, no one will know the details of the plan until they are put into action and that will, hopefully, not be for a long time yet.
Keep up to date with other royal news like Princess Charlotte planned the most thoughtful treat for her mum Kate Middleton - and it’s the perfect way for any child to bond with their parent and Prince Harry vowed to never ‘enjoy’ family hobby again after Princess Diana’s death - but he’s taken it back up and it’s all thanks to his children as well as Prince Harry reveals telling insight into his current relationship with father King Charles - and shares ‘top secret’ update on Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in surprise TV interview.
