# Britons; what are you expecting when Charles becomes King? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061 "2022-01-02T02:19:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/1 "2022-01-02T02:19:04Z")
Elizabeth II is ninety-five years old. I wish her the best but it’s inevitable that Charles will become King at some point in the foreseeable future. What do you think will be the results of this transition? What are public expectations? I’m aiming this mostly at Britons but Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, etc can also join in. But not you Barbadians; you made your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/2 "2022-01-02T02:27:39Z")
What do you mean by expectations? Charles will succeed. He’ll be a constitutional monarch. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/3 "2022-01-02T02:29:29Z")
Canadian: I’m expecting very little since the position does virtually nothing. He’s less popular than Queen Elizabeth II but he’s already aging himself. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/4 "2022-01-02T03:44:02Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > What do you mean by expectations? Charles will succeed. He’ll be a constitutional monarch. Are you saying the persons who reign are essentially interchangeable? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/5 "2022-01-02T03:45:16Z")
I’ve seen speculations from time to time that Liz my well outlive Chuck. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/6 "2022-01-02T03:48:14Z")
By no means impossible. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/7 "2022-01-02T03:49:31Z")
I think many will miss a female based monarch there. But I think it means they can have a king and a queen title at the same time??? Maybe??? Is that how it works, if the queen rules there is no king but if the king rules his wife could have the queen title? ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/8 "2022-01-02T03:50:04Z")
So that would mean William, right? There’s not some weird rule about Charles not ascending the throne resetting the line of succession, is there? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/9 "2022-01-02T03:51:59Z")
New Zealander here. I expect the design of our money to change and that’s about it. It’s not like our Queen actually _does_ anything. I mean I know she does do stuff, like attend public engagements and consult with Prime ministers etc, but she doesn’t do anything that has any effect on me. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/10 "2022-01-02T03:52:10Z")
William, correct, even if Elizabeth outlives Charles. If Charles dies before Elizabeth, William is next in line as a matter of statute law. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/11 "2022-01-02T03:54:41Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > New Zealander here. I expect the design of our money to change and that’s about it. About the same in Canada. Four courts will change their names from “Court of Queen’s Bench” to “Court of King’s Bench”. Other government references to the Queen will change to the King. Postage stamps will change. Lawyers who are designated as Queen’s Counsel will become King’s Counsel (“QC” =\> “KC”). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/12 "2022-01-02T03:54:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’ve seen speculations from time to time that Liz my well outlive Chuck. My mom used to say, the on ly thing keeling Lizzie alive is that she absolutely doesn’t want Charles to be king. She used to say that 40 year ago. So far it’s working. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/13 "2022-01-02T03:55:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Are you saying the persons who reign are essentially interchangeable? “The Queen reigns but does not rule.” There may be some differences in personal style between Charles and Elizabeth, but in terms of government operations, I don’t anticipate any differences. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/14 "2022-01-02T03:57:31Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > There may be some differences in personal style between Charles and Elizabeth, but in terms of government operations, He will proclaim an Empire-wide ban on Modern Architecture? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/15 "2022-01-02T03:57:38Z")
I’d expect it to boost the republican movement here in Australia, as Chuck’s much less popular than Lizzie is. Maybe even in the UK too. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/16 "2022-01-02T03:58:26Z")
He will not have any power to do so. Plus, there’s no Empire any more. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/17 "2022-01-02T03:59:16Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I’d expect it to boost the republican movement here in Australia, as Chuck’s much less popular than Lizzie is. Maybe even in the UK too. Has Australia made any progress towards coming up with an acceptable replacement? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/18 "2022-01-02T04:00:25Z")
Any chance Charles would just abdicate and leave it all to Junior? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/19 "2022-01-02T04:02:51Z")
He’s been waiting for this position all his life. Why would he do that? And he can’t do it unilaterally; the British Parliament would have to pass abdication legislation, with the consent of the other Commonwealth realms. It would be a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061/20 "2022-01-02T04:07:59Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I think many will miss a female based monarch there. But I think it means they can have a king and a queen title at the same time??? Maybe??? Is that how it works, if the queen rules there is no king but if the king rules his wife could have the queen title? Camilla would normally have become “Queen Consort” but that won’t happen due to Charles’ previous relationship (remember her?). She will be Princess Consort instead, so not a Queen. > **[Camilla Officially Takes on the Title of Queen](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a19405611/camilla-parker-bowles-queen-title-when-charles-becomes-king/)** > > Buckingham Palace confirmed the news with King Charles's coronation invitation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-what-are-you-expecting-when-charles-becomes-king/957061.md?page=2)