The claim: King Charles III ceded the throne to Prince William after Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8 at 96 years old, ending her 70-year reign and leaving the throne to her eldest son, now King Charles III.
A video that has been widely viewed on Facebook claims Charles has since relinquished the throne to his eldest son, Prince William, who is next in the line of succession.
“Bad news for Queen Camilla as Charles cedes throne to William immediately,” reads the caption of the Sept. 18 video, which was viewed more than 100,000 times in 10 days.
But the claim is incorrect. Charles has been officially proclaimed king and has chosen the name King Charles III as his title, though a date for his coronation has yet to be announced. There is no indication he has given up the throne. Instead, he has already begun carrying out his duties as monarch.
The seven-minute video never actually claims Charles ceded his throne. Rather, it cites a Washington Post report that quotes Robert Hazell, a professor of government and constitution at University College London, as saying that when Charles made his personal declaration during his accession ceremony, his phrasing “indicated very clearly that he expects to be king for the rest of his life.”
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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.
Charles pledges his ‘remaining time’ to the nation
A day before Elizabeth marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, she released a statement indicating she expected Charles to succeed her, saying “when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me.”
Charles, in his first national address, made a pledge similar to the one his late mother had made decades earlier, saying “I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”
There have been no reputable reports of throne passing to William.
There are other indicators that suggest Charles has no intention of giving up the throne any time soon.
Fact check: Video of man protesting predates Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral by over a decade
This week, Charles’ royal cypher was revealed to be a monogram that combines his initial “C” with “R” for Rex, Latin for king, plus III for King Charles III, the BBC reported.
New bank notes featuring Charles’ portrait are “expected to enter circulation by mid-2024,” the BBC also reported, while details about the appearance of new coins are expected to be revealed “over the coming weeks.”
USA TODAY has debunked several baseless assertions about the queen’s death, including false claims that “The Simpsons” predicted her death, that the BBC reported 5.1 billion people watched her funeral and that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was denied entry to the queen’s funeral.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Charles ceded the throne to William after the queen’s death. Charles immediately became king upon the queen’s death and has since been officially proclaimed king. There is no evidence he has ceded the throne, and Charles has said he plans to use “the remaining time God grants me” to uphold his nation’s principles.
Our fact-check sources:
- BBC, Sept. 18, King Charles III, the new monarch
- BBC, Sept. 27, King Charles: New royal cypher revealed
- Royal.uk, Sept. 27, His Majesty The King’s cypher
- USA TODAY, Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96; King Charles III takes the throne
- USA TODAY, Sept. 8, King Charles III succeeds Queen Elizabeth. What to know about British royal line.
- USA TODAY, April 9, 2021, A look at the British royal family tree, spanning four generations.
- USA TODAY, Feb. 5, Queen Elizabeth II says Camilla should be called ‘Queen Consort’ when Charles becomes king
- USA TODAY, Feb. 4, Why Queen Elizabeth II marks her accession to the throne as a day of private reflection
- USA TODAY, Sept. 10, Queen Elizabeth updates: King Charles III formally proclaimed, funeral date set, family gathers
- USA TODAY, Sept. 23, King Charles III on the job: See new photo of the monarch at work with the King’s Red Box
- Washington Post, Sept. 14, Why the crown won’t skip to Prince William. Even if some people want it to.
- Independent, Sept. 9, Charles chooses Charles III for his title as King
- Royal.uk, Feb. 5, The Queen’s Accession Day message
- USA TODAY, Sept. 9, King Charles makes first national address following queen’s death: Read the full transcript
- Royal.uk, April 21, 1947, A speech by the Queen on her 21st Birthday, 1947
- USA TODAY, Sept. 28, Fact check: BBC reported 28 million in United Kingdom watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
- USA TODAY, Sept. 23, Fact check: Altered image purportedly shows Queen Elizabeth’s death on ‘The Simpsons’
- USA TODAY, Sept. 28, Fact check: False claim that Duchess Meghan was denied entry to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
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