Prince George vital in King Charles coronation, but will he ever be King himself?

Prince George: second in line to the throne
Prince William and Princess Catherine 'delighted'
The future of the monarchy
But Prince George wasn't aware he was to become King
Destiny passed to him at seven years old
Prince George to modernise 'service and duty'
An ever-evolving digital world
Social media now part of the job
Royal Celebrities
Will Prince George be a celebrity or a King?
Who is Dame Hilary Mantel?
Modernisation
A similar expert view
Can the monarchy under Charles survive?
Can Charles do it?
Abdication
Exemplary
According to Irving, a very tough act indeed
The marriage debate
The Princess of Wales
But is Charles even allowed to become King?
The public speaks out
Another interesting result
So where does this leave poor George?
But, for now, he is a schoolboy
Talk of the week
Prince George: second in line to the throne

Prince George is expected to play an important role in the coronation of his grandfather, King Charles III on 6th May 2023. George, 9 years old and the oldest child of Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, has been named as one of four Pages of Honour for Charles at the coronation

Prince William and Princess Catherine 'delighted'

"[George's] parents are very excited and delighted," a spokesperson for Kate Middleton and Prince William told PEOPLE. But will the second in line to the throne ever get the weighty crown placed on his head?

The future of the monarchy

Prince George still has a little way to go before he is made King. Currently his grandfather, Charles, rules, then his father, Prince William, will inherit the crown before him. Yet, many have already begun speculating how the monarchy will have changed by the time the 9-year-old sits on the throne, and how they expect him to bring the British monarchy into the future.

But Prince George wasn't aware he was to become King

The Mirror reported that Prince George would be told about his future at a specific moment, with the time and detail carefully planned by his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It's a huge undertaking and they did not want George to 'find out accidentally and be confused'. But he only found out recently.

Destiny passed to him at seven years old

Royal historian Robert Lacey, who wrote 'Battle of Brothers: William and Harry - The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult' commented that Prince George was told of his destiny on his seventh birthday in 2020. On that day, "his parents went into more detail about what the little prince’s life of future royal ‘service and duty’ would particularly involve," as Marie Claire reports.

Prince George to modernise 'service and duty'

Social media has become an important part of today's life, and that's no different for the monarchy. Even The Late Queen joined Twitter in 2009! The use of social media for the royals has increased interest in the British monarchy and it is thought little George will be the one to use it to bring the monarchy even closer to the people.

Photo: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

An ever-evolving digital world

As reported by the Express, entrepreneur and media voice, Am Golhar, said "When it comes to the future [of the] monarchy [and] to Prince George, of course, there will be another new form of a social media platform as we are in a high pace evolving digital world."

Social media now part of the job

Am Golhar continued by pointing out that the young royal will most likely have people around him to manage social media but would probably like to put his own 'personal touch' on the content. Even so, it seems the future of the young Prince will include a wider range of 'services and duties' to keep up with the times. Do the royals now come under the name group 'celebrities'?

Royal Celebrities

Dame Hilary Mantel suggested to The Times that the Late Queen could very well have been the last of respected Royals in the modern world, she said, "It's very hard to understand the thinking behind the monarchy in the modern world when people are just seen as celebrities."

Will Prince George be a celebrity or a King?

After branding the new Royal Family 'celebrities', Dame Hilary Mantel also created some controversy surrounding the future of the little Prince George of Cambridge. The novelist has been in the press for her controversial royal views and she foresaw that there are only two generations left in Britain’s monarchy, meaning the Prince and Princess of Wales' eldest son might never become King.

Who is Dame Hilary Mantel?

Ms Mantel has been in the press once (or twice!) before - most famous for citing Kate Middleton as “a jointed doll on which certain rags are hung” in 2013. It created public outrage and the novelist’s reputation hasn’t been doing too well since, as she is now being accused of hating England after declaring she intends to become an Irish citizen. Strong order for a Dame.

Modernisation

Of course, what Mantel was trying to convey was that the modernisation of the world means the royal’s time could be running out. Putting this aside, she did say that she admired the determination of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. But the Dame has not been the only author to have the same prediction.

A similar expert view

Clive Irving (author of 'The Last Queen: How Queen Elizabeth II Saved the Monarchy') also stated that the monarchy could well be abolished before Prince George gets round to taking the throne.

Can the monarchy under Charles survive?

The expert on the Royals told Express.co.uk: "Before you can assess how William, and later George, might work out, you have to allow for the way the monarchy will look under King Charles, and whether under him it can survive."

Can Charles do it?

Prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth, many had been calling for Charles, Prince George’s grandfather to step down and allow William to take the throne instead. William, for many, would be a better choice at bringing the Royal Family well into the modern day, but at 72 years of age, the oldest heir apparent in British history would not relinquish his right.

Abdication

Abdication is not an option. The Queen, at least, regards this as bringing shame to the family, after her uncle abdicated. Not only that, but The Queen made a promise when she was 21 years old that she would serve until her last day. When that day arrived, Prince Charles automatically became King.

Exemplary

Of course, it must always be taken into consideration that Queen Elizabeth II and her father, the late George VI were exceptional monarchs. Mr Irving said, "The Queen and her father, George VI, were exceptions in the Windsor line that followed Queen Victoria, the only ones to be exemplary in the role.” She is a tough act to follow.

According to Irving, a very tough act indeed

The royal expert claimed Charles ‘lacks his mother's extraordinary ability to reign’ and said at the time: "In my view Prince Charles is a reversion to the line of duds, falling far short of the standard set by his mother and grandfather.”

The marriage debate

There was also the question of, if - and when - Charles does become King, could Camilla be Queen? We all know Camilla is due to be crowned alongside her husband and under common law, the spouse of a King automatically becomes Queen. But many say their civil marriage in 2005 is not valid.

The Princess of Wales

Camilla also did not accept the title of Princess of Wales. That has, for the public anyway, always belonged to the late Diana Spencer and always will. Camilla will be known as Queen Consort. Queen Elizabeth even made a statement to the people declaring that is is 'her wish' to see Camilla as future Queen Consort and by her son's side.

But is Charles even allowed to become King?

Many have asked the question, ‘Why is Charles allowed to become King after marrying a divorcée while his great uncle Edward VIII had to abdicate for doing the same?’ Well, the answer is pretty simple, this is the 21st century where divorce is socially acceptable. Also the Church of England does not have the authority it once had - the people speak now.

The public speaks out

The public had also spoken, with a YouGov poll showing that Brits said they would prefer Prince William to take the the throne instead of his father, Charles. In the same poll 14% of Brits also voted "no monarch" after Her Majesty. A further 15% of people opted to choose the "don't know" option when asked who should be King after Queen Elizabeth.

Another interesting result

Another YouGov poll was published and one thing for sure was clear, the Queen exceeded expectations. In a flailing monarchy, over 50% believed the Queen had done a good job during her time on the throne.

So where does this leave poor George?

Nine year old Prince George is second in line to the throne. If his grandfather doesn’t abdicate, his own father could be pushing 50 before he has any glimpse of the crown. Not only is time not on his side, but the public opinion of the royal family in general isn't either; as many will wish to abolish the British monarchy.

But, for now, he is a schoolboy

Attending Lambrook School in Berkshire with his sister and brother, Charlotte and Louis, they are simply known as George Cambridge, Charlotte Cambridge and Louis Cambridge. He is quietly living his youth and education as a normal school child... for now.

Photo: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Talk of the week

William and Kate are "cognizant that he is old enough to understand what's going on," a royal source told PEOPLE. The publication continues to say that the Prince and Princess of Wales however are 'mindful that normal life resumes when George is back at school with his classmates the following week, where the weekend's events will likely be the talk of his classmates'.