According to the rules of succession to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the other 15 states of the British Commonwealth, the next king after Elizabeth II should be her son Charles, Prince of Wales.
HRH Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales - this is exactly how the name and title of Prince Charles sounds - will ascend the throne under the name of Charles III. The fact is that in the Russian tradition of naming English monarchs in the German way, the name Charles is read as Karl. There are rumors in the press that Prince Charles is thinking of ascending the throne under his fourth name, namely George VII. The prince himself denies these rumors, believing that it is unacceptable to discuss this issue prematurely.
And his son Prince William, the second in line heir to the British throne, will ascend him under the name William. In Great Britain, some of the subjects believe that the queen should transfer the throne to her grandson, Prince William, and not to her son, Prince Charles. Or that Charles should relinquish the throne in favor of his son.
The reason for these rumors is the unpopularity of Prince Charles among the people because of the story with Princess Diana, a divorce from whom many still do not forgive him. Plus his scandalous reputation in his youth. In London theaters at one time there was a popular play "King Charles III", which quite deeply touched on this topic.
But in reality, this most likely will not happen. First, because the queen cannot abdicate the throne "because of old age." Second, the will of the queen means nothing in comparison with the constitutional order of succession to the throne, which dates back to the Act of Dispensation of 1701. Thirdly, Prince Charles has been waiting for his turn to become a monarch for 66 years (since 1952) and is not ready to give up. And fourthly, Prince William himself wants his father to be king too.
Another reason for these rumors is the mood of the queen herself. Indeed, Her Royal Majesty does not see a ruler in her son, but for the above reasons, she cannot transfer the throne to her grandson. Therefore, I am determined to stay in power as long as possible.
There is a version of events according to which Prince Charles will never wait for his turn to become a monarch and will die in old age. Then William will automatically become the heir to the throne of the first order. But this version of events is unlikely. The fact is that the Windsor dynasty carries the gene for longevity, and the state of health of Prince Charles at his 69 years is very good.
Prince William, unlike his father, earned himself a reputation as a good family man, he was not noticed in scandalous situations. Service as a pilot of a rescue helicopter and participation in rescue operations also added to his popularity among the people. His wife Kate Middleton has been compared by many to the late Princess Diana, and she honors such comparisons.
The third in line to the throne is Prince George of Cambridge, son of Prince William born in 2013. Despite his young age, he managed to become famous for the fact that Wikipedia articles about him began to appear even before his birth.
The order of succession to the throne in Great Britain implies that the order of inheritance is determined by the primogeniture with the preference of the male over the female. In 2011, it was changed, and men lost their advantage, but these changes do not apply to heirs born before their adoption, that is, before October 28, 2011.
To obtain the right to the throne, a potential heir must be legally born. Moreover, children born before marriage are also considered illegitimate, even if the parents later got married. The law also requires that a marriage be contracted with the consent of the current monarch, otherwise the descendants of such a marriage are excluded from the succession to the throne.
And even earlier it was believed that at the time of accession to the throne, the heir must be a Protestant of the Anglican faith. Catholics and persons who marry Catholics are excluded from the order of succession to the throne. Interestingly, this rule does not apply to other religions. Since 2011, this rule has also been abolished.
