King Charles is facing speculation that he might decide to abdicate in favour of his son, having watched Denmark’s Queen Margrethe do so this weekend.
The 83-year-old Danish royal announced her intention to step down in her New Year’s Eve address after 52 years on the throne, stating that her recent back surgery at the start of 2023 contributed to her decision.
“The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,” she said.
Margrethe’s decision is typical of the royal houses of Denmark, Sweden and Norway – who have earned the nickname of “bicycling monarchies” – and now many have been left asking if the British Royal Family could ever follow suit, especially considering King Charles is 75.
However, abdication isn’t something that is entertained by Buckingham Palace – as King Edward VIII’s 1936 abdication has left its scars.
Edward, who took on the title of the Duke of Windsor, sparked a constitutional crisis when he proposed to American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
The union was met with staunch opposition from all circles, especially the government and his advisers.
Eventually, he realised that as head of the Church of England it was impossible for him to marry a divorced woman at that time, thus prompting his decision to abdicate before he was even crowned.
Ever since, the word abdication has become a taboo word and not an idea that has been entertained by any of our subsequent monarchs – despite what has been suggested by Netflix’s The Crown.
King George VI died aged 56 after a prolonged battle with lung cancer, while Queen Elizabeth died aged 96 – and neither of them ever considered stepping down, despite their age or health concerns.
This is because they – like King Charles – were strong believers of the divine right of kings, a religious doctrine that their right to rule came directly from the will of God.
Charles, like his mother and grandfather before him, is a deeply religious person and believes he is on the throne because God has decided he must be there – and it’s not up to him to decide if he could quit. To do so would be going against God’s will.
But for the King, it is important to remember that he has waited his whole life to become monarch. He was the longest heir-apparent ever, having waited 70 years and 214 days to ascend the throne. As a result, he is unlikely to step down after a few short years.
Not only would Charles be breaking God’s will and going against everything his mother believed in if he abdicated, he would also be saying goodbye to a job he has spent decades preparing for. These three reasons, as well as the scarring from the 1936 abdication crisis, are key to why the King will never step down from the throne.
