Even if she had desired to skip her eldest son, Charles, in favour of her grandson, William, she did not have the power to choose her successor on a whim.
Prince Charles is presently heir (next in line) to the British throne. He will not become king until his mother, Queen Elizabeth, abdicates (gives up the throne), retires or dies. When either of these happen, Prince Charles may abdicate and pass the throne to his eldest son Prince William.
Queen Elizabeth II cannot bypass Prince Charles as next in line for the throne, but he can be bypassed in the order of succession. The decision over the order of succession is determined by Parliament, not the Queen or King.
It formalises the monarch's role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of their title and powers. However, it is not actually necessary for the monarch to be crowned to become King. Edward VIII reigned without a coronation - and Charles automatically became King the moment Queen Elizabeth II died.
') William certainly has the option of choosing a new regnal name when he becomes King (perhaps one of his middle names: Arthur, Philip, or Louis, or George, like his great-grandfather), but if he keeps William, he would be known as King William V.
Even if the Queen wanted to change her successor, she doesn't have the power to do so. It's against the law, specifically the 1701 Act of Settlement, which requires that a monarch's heir must be a direct successor and a Protestant. Prince Charles fits the bill on both accounts.
'Under common law, Prince Charles will automatically become King the moment the Queen dies. Prince William could only become King if Prince Charles chose to abdicate. That would require legislation, as happened with the Declaration of Abdication Act 1936.
"Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," the palace previously said in a statement.
With Charles the new king, Prince William (the queen's third-eldest grandchild) will take on new titles, including the traditional styling given to the king-in-waiting. “William becomes Duke of Cornwall when Charles becomes king and will be invested [formally named] as Prince of Wales,” Harris says.
Charles will keep his name.
The official invitation to the coronation also confirmed this title, inviting select guests to "The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla."
Equally now, if Prince William dies before King Charles, William's son Prince George of Cambridge, will be next in line to the throne, not Prince Charles' second son Prince Harry.
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Instead, after the queen, her firstborn, Charles, ascended to the throne and became the British sovereign. Next in line is his firstborn, William, Prince of Wales, and then William's firstborn, Prince George.
If the king died, then William would inherit his throne. If both Charles and William were to die then the throne would be inherited by William's son, Prince George, but while he is under the age of 18 (until July 22, 2031), a regent would need to be appointed by law.
As Hicks explained, Elizabeth knew even then that she could never abdicate, because doing so is inconsistent with the religious doctrine of the Church of England.
After Queen Elizabeth's death, Prince William inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate worth around $1.2 billion.
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She would become Queen only if Prince George predeceased her without having any living children.
So, the bottom line? Yes, Prince Harry could one day be King...but there'd need to be a lot of unfortunate and premature deaths in order for that to happen. And even if it did happen, there's no certainty that the present Duke of Sussex would actually want to take on the role (he could very well choose to abdicate).
At present, Harry is fifth in line to the throne and this is a birthright “privilege” that cannot be revoked without an Act of Parliament being in place.
Charles will not be changing his name, as was previously speculated. He will be known as King Charles III. Charles was nine when he was given the title the Prince of Wales. He's now 74, and ascended to the throne immediately following his mother Queen Elizabeth's death.
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Probably the biggest reason for Meghan staying home is so she can stay with her son Archie on his fourth birthday. Rather than leave Archie with a nanny or grandmother Doria Ragland, the couple want him to enjoy his birthday celebrations at home with his mum.
In late April, the duchess addressed a report in Britain's Telegraph citing an anonymous source claiming she is not attending the coronation because she was unhappy with the king's response to a letter she reportedly wrote him two years ago.
Prince William defied royal protocol at the King's Coronation when he chose not to bow to Queen Camilla at the Coronation Concert. A body language expert claims that the Prince of Wales might have found it strange to perform such a gesture to his stepmother.
Even if the Queen had desired to skip Charles in favor of William, she did not have the power to choose her successor on a whim. The 1701 Act of Settlement is the act of Parliament that determines the succession to the throne and requires that a monarch's heir must be his or her direct successor (and a Protestant).
There is no law in the UK that prohibits a person from being crowned king or queen if they have been divorced. This may surprise some who know their history (or have watched The Crown) as people will point to Edward VIII who was forced to abdicate to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée.