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King Charles III will be crowned following the death of Queen Elizabeth, who ruled for 70 years. After King Charles, Prince William is the next in line for the throne. A former royal staff member shared how he thinks Charles and William will follow in the queen’s footsteps. 

King Charles III and Prince William, who are next in line to take the throne after Queen Elizabeth's death.
King Charles III and Prince William | Max Mumby/Getty Images

King Charles III will take over the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth 

Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was 96 years old and had ruled for seven decades. 

At the time of her death, the throne immediately passed to the heir, Charles, the former Prince of Wales. He is now known as King Charles III. The selection of his name was his first decision as king – he could have chosen any of his four given names, Charles Philip Arthur George. 

His wife, Camilla, has become the Queen Consort – the title of the monarch’s spouse. The king has given Prince William and Kate Middleton the title of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Prince William is next in line to inherit the throne after King Charles.

Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday, Sept. 10, at St James’s Palace in London (per BBC).

A former royal staff member believes King Charles III and Prince William will carry on certain traditions after the death of Queen Elizabeth 

Queen Elizabeth ruled for so long that her steady presence became a source of comfort and stability to many. Some may worry about what King Charles III taking over could mean for the future of the monarchy and the British people.

Steven Kaye, who served as Queen Elizabeth’s royal footman for several years, opined that King Charles and Prince William will maintain traditions from the queen’s reign (per Slingo). 

“It’s about modernization, isn’t it. Will William want to live at Buckingham Palace, is that something that may continue? Or will the palace become more of a museum?” Kaye said. “My view is that because people view Buckingham Palace as the head office, it’s important to keep those traditions alive. The moment they start to be out of the palace and living somewhere else, that kind of erodes some of the traditions we have in this country and I think William is very aware of that.”

He added, “The queen has always said, ‘I need to be seen to be believed,’ and Charles and William know how important that is.”

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The former royal staffer worries about Prince William not having the support of his brother

One concern Kaye has for Prince William after the death of Queen Elizabeth is that the Prince of Wales may not have the support of his brother, Prince Harry.

“I think William and Kate will do a fabulous job [when they take over the monarchy]. I’m just quite sad that he doesn’t have the support of his brother anymore,” said Kaye. “I think we were all hoping they were going to be the fab four and the future of the monarchy, but sadly that’s not to be.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly have a strained relationship with the rest of the royal family. In January 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back from their royal duties. They planned to split time between the U.S. and the U.K. while seeking financial independence. 

During an interview with Oprah, Harry said he had to leave his home in the U.K. due to a “lack of support and lack of understanding” from his family (per Marie Claire). There have been long-standing rumors of a rift between Harry and William due to the Prince of Wales’ treatment of Meghan. 

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