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Who will be Britain’s next King?

Most people in Britain have never known life without "the Queen". She has
been Britain's head of state since 1952, and in 2026, if she is still alive, she
will reach the age of 100. People who know her say that she will
not abdicate; but whether she does or not, she cannot continue for ever. In
a few years' time, Britain will have a new head of state, and it will be a king.
But which king?

Very few people alive in Britain today remember the time when Britain
last had a king. Elizabeth II has been Queen of England since 1952, so
only the very oldest people remember the last king, her father George VI.
Queen Elizabeth has marked life and times in Britain for the past
seven decades, and when she dies, Britain will change. It will be like
losing the nation's grandmother, since the Queen is part of national life,
part of the national family, and a very popular figure. Opinion polls in
2020 showed that over 80% of people in Britain appreciate the Queen.

There will be a moment of national trauma when she dies; it will

probably not be as massive as the national trauma that came with the
death of Princess Diana, but who knows? At the time of her death, Diana
was popular more as a celebrity than as "a royal". The Queen is not just
"a royal"; she is the Queen, part of national life, a British institution, a
person whose image people see every day, on coins, on banknotes, on
stamps, in magazines, in public places. All that will change.

Following the Queen will be a hard act; so who will follow her? Indeed,
who will want to follow her? By historic tradition, after the death of a
monarch, the crown passes to the "next in line"; this is the
Queen's eldest son, Prince Charles. Yet Prince Charles does not have
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to become King. He could decide to let the crown pass to the next in line
after him, his elder son Prince William.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the next British head of state will

therefore be either King Charles III or King William V. However a king
does not have to use the same name as a prince. Like many people,
both Charles and William have several given names (first names); they
both have the name Arthur, so either could chose to become King Arthur
II.... though that could cause problems, as the original "King Arthur",
however famous he may be, is a legendary character who may not have
really existed, and may not have been a real king even if he did exist.

Will Charles become King?

Prince Charles is the heir to the throne, so he will become King unless
he decides not to. While Charles is not unpopular, he is less popular
than his mother the Queen, and less popular than his son Prince William.
He will probably choose to become King, but he may decide that he is
too old to start a new job. Charles was born in 1948, so by 2026, when
the Queen reaches 100, he will be 78. He may think that at 78 he should
be stopping work, not taking on a big new career as Head of State. Yet
he may look around and see that Joe Biden became president of the
USA at the age of 78, and decide that 78 is a good age to take on the
job. After all, being President of the USA is a harder job than being King
of England; the President of the USA must take political decisions, the
King of England cannot take part in politics.

So who is Charles? He has spent his life in the shadow of the Queen. He
has the image of a gentleman farmer, and is still actively involved in the
agricultural life of his estates. Like his father, who was president of the
WWF, Charles is very concerned about the environment and the natural
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world, and his farms are known for their organic produce. Indeed,
Charles's farms became organic in 1985, long before the organic boom
of recent years, and "Duchy Organic", set up by Charles, is one of the
biggest brands of organic foods in the UK, sold in the Waitrose
supermarkets.

Charles has also spent a lot of time trying to help underprivileged youth
in Britain's inner cities. His "Prince's Trust" is a charity that has helped
thousands of kids from poor parts of Britain's cities to get good training
and good jobs. He has also been active on the world stage, and in 2020
he encouraged world leaders at the Davos summit to "reset capitalism",
in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change. As a prince, he
can say and do what he thinks; as Head of State, he would have to be
more neutral. So maybe he'll become King, maybe he'll decide to
decline the offer.

If Charles does not follow his mother, the next monarch will be Prince
William. Born in 1982, William will be 44 when the Queen reaches 100,
so he will be at a good age to take over a top job when she eventually
dies. After Her Majesty, Prince William is Britain's most popular "royal",
and about three quarters of the people in Britain would like him as King.
He is helped by the very good reputation of his wife Kate. William has the
right qualifications for a top job, including a university degree and
years with the armed forces. He is a qualified helicopter pilot and
worked for several years with the coast guards in Wales, flying search
and rescue missions.

While nobody knows for certain who Britain's next king will be, it is fairly
certain that Britain will remain a monarchy after the Queen dies. Both
Charles and William carry out plenty of royal duties, so they know the
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ropes, and both are prepared to be king. Besides, few people want
Britain to become a republic. A poll in 2012 showed that 80% of people
in Britain wanted the monarchy to continue, with only 13% wanting a
republic. Perhaps this is understandable; in Britain, as in many other
countries, politicians are not particularly popular these days! God save
the King!