William’s modern monarchy

If you’ve found it hard since the Queen died to get your head around the fact that we now have a male monarch, you’re not alone. After 70 record-breaking years of Elizabeth II as sovereign, it still seems a little strange to be talking about the King, and referring to His Majesty.

But we’ll need to get used to it as all the monarchs for the foreseeable future will be men.

Next in line to accede to the throne after Charles III is his eldest son Prince William. Following a tradition that goes back to 1301, as heir apparent to the throne, he was given the title Prince of Wales by the Monarch (his dad). The title was bestowed on September 9 last year, the day after the Queen died and Charles became King. William is yet to be invested as Prince of Wales in a formal ceremony – his father’s coronation is of greater importance and takes precedence.

Charles had to wait 11 years before his investiture. He was actually given the title in 1958 at the age of nine, but the formal ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in Wales didn’t take place until 1969, when he was 20.

Given that William is already 40, his father may feel it’s best to get on with the investiture sooner rather than later.

William is likely to be younger than his father was when he takes over the throne, but if Charles follows in the footsteps of his parents, who both lived well into their nineties, his son could be in his sixties by the time he becomes king.

William will be allowed to choose his regnal name and it’s expected that he’ll opt to keep the name he was given at birth, meaning he will become King William V. The first King William was better known as William the Conqueror and ruled from 1066. The last, William IV, ruled from 1830-1837 and was succeeded by his niece Victoria.

Although he’s only just moved up the rankings, royal experts say we’ve already been given a glimpse of the kind of king William is likely to be. His devotion to duty so far suggests he’ll continue to strive for a strong and effective monarchy, says royal biographer Katie Nicholls.

“He has a very clear idea of his purpose, and understands the notion of sovereignty and the importance of the crown. Duty runs through his DNA, just like it does with his father, just like it did with his grandmother.

“He wants the monarchy to survive. He believes passionately in it, and believes it has a purpose and a place in today’s society.”

William won’t hesitate to use the “star power” that he and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, have become known for.

“While celebrity was almost a dirty word for the Queen, I think the ‘new royals’ understand the power of that kind of fame,” says Katie. “We won’t see them on the red carpet for the sake of it, but they appreciate being there can help them to spread important messages.”

William’s style is very much different to that of his father, says body language expert Adrianne Carter. While the King maintains more of a “dignified demeanour”, William tends to be more “approachable and casual”, and is not likely to change when he becomes monarch.

“When he is in a formal setting, he exudes confidence and holds himself with dignity. In a less stuffy setting, he reveals himself to be a genuine and unassuming family man.”

If William continues the Windsor tradition of living to a ripe old age, his son George could also be ready to draw his pension by the time he gets to the throne.

Changing of the guard

It was the biggest shake-up of royal rules in centuries, yet it happened only a decade ago. Before the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into being, men took precedence in the line of royal succession. If a monarch had several children, their heir would always be the oldest boy. The only time a girl got to be queen in her own right was when there were no male heirs – as was the case for Elizabeth II, who was the oldest of two girls born to George VI.

This rule was based on a handful of laws and statutes dating back to 1688. It took a while, but in October 2011, the 16 Commonwealth realms (including New Zealand) decided that the line of succession would in future be decided by order of birth, not gender. What was known as the Perth Agreement went on to become the 2013 Act.

Britain’s Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, said, “The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he is a man… this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries we have become.”

Part of the reason for the move was the marriage of Prince William, then second in line to the throne, to Kate Middleton in April 2011. It was deemed important, given that it was now the 21st century, to modernise the monarchy so that their first child would be third in line to the throne, regardless of whether they were a boy or girl. As it happened, their first-born was a son, so we’ll have another king in Prince George. But should anything happen to him before he has children, the next monarch will be his sister Princess Charlotte. If the rules hadn’t been changed, she’d have been leap-frogged in the order of succession by her younger brother Prince Louis.

The changes applied to every member of the royal family born after October 2011 and came into effect in March 2015.

The 2013 Act also repealed the Royal Marriages Act 1772, which meant any royal who married a Roman Catholic could be removed from the line of succession. It’s now possible for royals to marry anyone from any religion and still be in line to inherit the throne.

However, there was no change to the rule that says the monarch cannot be any religion other than Protestant. As David Cameron explained, “The monarch must be in communion with the Church of England because he or she is head of that church.”

The other rule that changed with the introduction of the Succession to the Crown Act meant that only the first six people in line to the throne now need to ask permission of the monarch to marry.

Before that, any descendant of George II – who ruled from 1727-1760 – had to go to the King or Queen for approval.

As things stand at the moment, only George, Charlotte, Louis and their cousin Prince Archie have to get the King’s say-so if they want to wed. William and Harry also need to ask their dad if they ever want to re-marry.