As the British royal family evolves over time, many Brits are calling for the monarchy to be handed over to Prince William directly after Queen Elizabeth II.
Due to his young age and a more modern outlook towards the world, royal fans, critics and experts deem the Duke of Cambridge more fit to be king than his father, Prince Charles.
However, there is one major royal rule that prohibits Prince William from directly inheriting the throne from the Queen.
The only way the duke can get his hands on the crown is if his father takes over and then abdicates the throne for his son.
The questions were addressed by University College London’s Constitution Unit, as they claimed: "Under common law, Prince Charles will automatically become King the moment the Queen dies. Prince William could only become King if Prince Charles chose to abdicate.”
“That would require legislation, as happened with the Declaration of Abdication Act 1936,” it was further revealed.
"The line of succession is regulated by Parliament (as in the Act of Succession 1700, and the Succession to the Crown Act 2013); it can be changed only by Parliament and cannot be unilaterally altered by the monarch,” the constitutional experts were quoted on the website.
It also answered another pressing question about Prince Charles abdicating in favour of Prince William.
The unit said: “That would be a matter for Prince Charles, and for Parliament. For the Queen, abdication is said to be unthinkable, for two reasons.”
"The first is the bad example of Edward VIII: his abdication brought the Queen's father onto the throne, unexpectedly and most reluctantly,” it further said.
