Fans Debate Whether King Charles Should Abdicate The Throne To Prince William

Rae Batchelor
King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September in Balmoral, on September 9, 2022 in London, England
Getty Images | Yui Mok

People are debating whether or not the newly-crowned King Charles III, 73, should abdicate the throne in favor of his son, Prince William, 40.

There has been more attention than ever in recent memory on how the British line of succession works since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne. People online have been discussing the benefits and the cons to King Charles taking the throne at the age of 73, and some believe it would be better for him to abdicate.

Queen Elizabeth II became the Queen when she was just 25 years old.

She reigned as Queen until she passed away at the age of 96 on September 8th, 2022. Her reign lasted a historic 70 years and 214 days, which is the longest reign of any British monarch.

Her son Charles became King when she passed at the age of 73.

People are debating if Charles should abdicate the throne given his age in favor of his son, William, who is 40.

"I mean this isn’t my business, but am i the only one who thinks that charles should abdicate to william right away, give the kid a little runway? he’s already 73," tweeted one user. "Seems harsh to put the UK through this pain again so soon..."

"Wouldn't it be better for the stability of the monarchy for Charles to abdicate in favor of William?" asked another.

 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. The 100th birthday of the RAF, which was founded on on 1 April 1918, was marked with a centenary parade with the presentation of a new Queen's Colour and flypast of 100 aircraft over Buckingham Palace.
Getty Images | Max Mumby

"King Charles should abdicate the throne to Prince William and I think it’s such a clearly selfish act if he doesn’t," tweeted one user.

Conor Friedersdorf for The Atlantic wrote that Charles should "rule briefly and abdicate at 75––the age when British judges are compelled to retire from the bench––while touting the importance of passing the throne to Prince William in his son’s prime rather than his dotage."

Friedersdorf argued that this would be pushing back against the trend towards "gerontocracy."

"King Charles III ought to issue a royal proclamation underscoring that this approach is a royal rebuke to the international trend toward gerontocracy, whereby leaders delay handing off power to the next generation long past what serves the public good," Friedersdorf wrote.

What do you think? Would you be in favor of King Charles abdicating for William to take over earlier, or do you prefer to stick to tradition? Let us know in the comments!