Prince Charles Will Not 'Step Down' From Kingship For Son Prince William, Royal Expert Says

Prince Charles is unlikely to give up the throne in favor of his eldest son, Prince William, according to royal biographer Robert Lacey.

Lacey, who serves as a historian on Netflix's "The Crown" and recently released the royal biography "Battle of Brothers," spoke about the Prince of Wales, who is celebrating his 72nd birthday Saturday, during his appearance on "Good Morning Britain." In his opinion, he believes that the heir apparent would not give up the kingship when his time to lead the monarchy comes.

"The Queen's jubilee certainly shows the Queen is determined to go on to the end," Lacey said of Queen Elizabeth II, who will have reigned for 70 years by 2022.

"But there is such loyalty and respect for the Queen, when we look to the future and say who could duplicate that in the future, could it be King Charles and Queen Camilla? Or would it much better be William and Kate who are already the focus of enormous popularity and are clearly stepping into the role of future sovereign," he continued. "I myself don't think [Prince Charles] would willingly step down from the destiny he has waited for so long."

Prince Charles became the heir apparent at 3 years old when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952 following the death of King George VI. The Prince of Wales has been first in the line of succession for 68 years, making him the longest-serving heir-apparent to the British throne and potentially the oldest-ever king when he is crowned.

For Lacey, Prince Charles is already stepping into the role of Britain's future king after he and Prince William represented the royal family at last week's Remembrance Sunday service at London's Cenotaph. The Prince of Wales laid a wreath on Her Majesty's behalf.

Moreover, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are not slowing down in terms of their royal engagements. In fact, they are set to fly to Germany for an official visit this weekend.

Prince Charles and his wife, Duchess Camilla, will attend the central memorial service in Berlin on the Volkstrauertag (Day of National Mourning) Sunday, Clarence House announced.

Prince Charles not giving up the crown will not be a problem for Prince William because the latter has no plans of seizing the throne from his father.

Gill Knappett, author of "Charles, Prince of Wales," claimed that he was told by the Duke of Cambridge that he does not want to overtake his father in the line of succession.

“Although like his father, William will be destined to have a far shorter reign than his grandmother, he has said he has no desire to 'climb the ladder of kingship' before his time,” Knappett said in 2018.