Prince William’s Response to King Charles’ Cancer as He Prepares to Ascend

Ever since King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, there have been rumors and speculation that he might abdicate and his son, William, could become King. But the chances of that were always low, considering there were always rumors that Queen Elizabeth could do that, and there was even a time when people wondered if she could skip Charles and abdicate directly to William. Of course, none of that ever happened.

However, there are now reports that William is seriously concerned about his father’s health, amid reports that Charles refuses to step down to take care of himself. RadarOnline is reporting that even Queen Camilla has urged the king to slow down, but he has refused to do so.

Related: Here’s what each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth

And William is reportedly preparing behind the scenes, “No doubt, William will be devastated if his father takes a turn for the worse and has only months to live. But the prince is also very pragmatic and focusing on the stability of the monarchy.”

This all comes after a report indicated Buckingham Palace leaned on the press to downplay the severity of the king’s illness. Robert Jobson, a veteran royal reporter and author of the book The Windsor Legacy, said about the king’s good cancer news from late last year.

“I think that the palace were overemphasizing the ‘good news,’” Jobson explained.  “The king is living with cancer. He will live with cancer. There is not any prospect, I think, of anything other than him living with cancer.

“And that says it all. I’ve seen him at events not far from him, where he’s almost falling asleep while standing up. And this is a man who believes wholeheartedly in his duty, and he’s a courageous man.”

Jobson also added that Charles is unlikely to step down. “I would say this: If he felt he could not carry out his duties because of ill health, and if he feels that his health was in any way affecting his position, then he would not necessarily look to stand down – but he would likely say, ‘I can’t continue with the treatment I’ve got and I’ll let it take its action.’”

Reportedly, people close to him were worried about the toll the latest state visit to the US would take. But the King still went ahead with it. “This is one of, if not the biggest tests of King Charles since he became monarch because a historically special relationship is in a perilous situation,” royal expert Duncan Larcombe said. “Donald Trump is openly criticizing the prime minister, which is something that Charles hasn’t had to cope with before.”

Behind the scenes, William is reportedly vying for more power and for a more extreme line on things like the Andrew scandal. “In William’s mind, Andrew should have been removed from the line of succession immediately and cut out of royal life completely,” a palace source said.

The heir is apparently also uncompromising when it comes to his brother, Prince Harry. Charles continues to be open to a reconciliation, but William less so. “While Charles is open to mending his relationship with Harry, William wants no part of it. And that’s likely never going to change,” another royal source said.