Prince William Could Break Royal Tradition Dating Back to Henry VIII When He Becomes King

Mar. 15, 2025

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CouldPrince Williamdecide not to be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England when he succeedsKing Charlesas sovereign one day?

Royal biographer Robert Hardman raises the question in his new book,The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy,serialized in theDaily Mailand out Jan. 18. According to the excerpt, there is speculation that the Prince of Wales, 41, may not take the title, which has been affiliated with British sovereigns since King Henry VIII in the 1530s, because of his beliefs.

“In royal circles, it is no secret that he does not share the King’s sense of the spiritual, let alone the late Queen’s unshakeable devotion to the Anglican church,” Hardman writes of William inThe Making of a King, according to theDaily Mail.

Prince William leaves the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London on May 6, 2023.ADRIAN DENNIS/getty

ADRIAN DENNIS/getty

“’His father is very spiritual and happy to talk about faith but the Prince is not. He doesn’t go to church every Sunday, but then nor do the large majority of the country. He might go at Christmas and Easter but that’s it,’ ” the author quotes a senior palace figure as saying. “‘He very much respects the institutions but he is not instinctively comfortable in a faith environment.’ ”

Prince William recentlystepped outto attend church at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham on Christmas Day with wifeKate Middletonand their childrenPrince George, 10,Princess Charlotte, 8, andPrince Louis, 5, joining other members of the royal family for the outing observed for generations.Queen Elizabethwas known to attend church weekly throughout her record reign, and her“straightforward” faithwas said to sustain her during the pandemic.

Queen Elizabeth opens the new building at Thames Hospice in July 2022.Kirsty O’Connor-WPA Pool/Getty Images

British Parliamentoutlinesthat King Charles automatically became Supreme Governor of the Church of England upon his accession following the death of his mother in September 2022, and he described his faith as “deeply rooted” in the Church of England in hisfirst speechas sovereign the following day.

King Charles leaves Westminster Abbey following his coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023.BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The King, 75, has long shown an interest ininterfaith relationsand promised to maintain the Protestant faith and Church of England during his coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023. He can also appoint archbishops, bishops and deans of cathedralswithin the Church of Englandon the advice of the Prime Minister — but William might do things differently one day.

In other differences between father and son, Hardman writes that Prince William favors box sets (television) where King Charles enjoys reading, and does not plan to be invested as the Prince of Wales with pomp and ceremony like his father did in 1969.

Hardman shedsnew lighton details around Queen Elizabeth’s death inThe Making of a King, including insight into the circumstances surrounding the late monarch’s death.

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In an excerpt in theDaily Maillast Friday, the author shared a memo of the monarch’s final moments from her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, who was at Balmoral when the Queen died on Sept. 8, 2022.

“Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain,” Young notes in the previously unseen memo that is now part of the Royal Archives, according to the outlet.

source: people.com