The Royal Family Members Who Lose The Most When King Charles Dies
News of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis has many wondering about the future of the British monarchy. What will happen in the event of Charles' death, and how will it affect the other members of the Firm? There is a whole protocol in place that will commence after Charles dies — hopefully, no time soon, as the Windsors have a history of longevity. Queen Elizabeth II was 96 when she died, after all. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, Queen Mother, was 101. Still, Brits being Brits, they are prepared for any possible outcome, and they're determined not to be caught out again as they were following the shock death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
In addition to the general protocol that usually follows historical tradition, there are "secret" post-mortem codenames that are unique for each royal family member, as documented by Town & Country. The codenames dictate the nature of funeral proceedings and the actions of the Metropolitan police and armed forces, in addition to setting the tone for media coverage, radio playlists, and television programming, among many other things. As viewers of "The Crown" may already be aware, Queen Elizabeth's codename was "Operation London Bridge," and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's was "Operation Fourth Bridge."
Charles' codename is "Operation Menai Bridge." When it kicks in, Great Britain and the commonwealth countries are supposedly thrown into mourning, and William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, will immediately become King and Queen. But what about the other royals? Who will feel the pinch and end up on the loser list?
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
With each child that William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, welcomed into the world, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, slid further down the succession pole. This, let's face it, has clearly never been a concern for the royal "spare," as he's made his feelings about life within the sovereignty crystal clear.
However, the specter of royal duty still looms large in Harry's life, unfortunately for him. The 1937 Regency Act dictates that if his father, King Charles III, and William were to die before Prince George of Wales turned 18, then Harry would, in theory, become King Regent. This is highly unlikely in reality, given William's age. Plus, the royal member needs to reside in Britain full-time. Plus, Harry probably wouldn't even accept the role. If he did turn it down, though, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, would be next in line for the job. Shudder.
Still, regency speculation aside, Harry stands to lose a lot in the event of Charles' death. His popularity has nosedived since he relinquished his royal patronage, discharged himself as a working member of the Firm, and hot-hoofed it to Los Angeles with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. A recent YouGov survey found Harry to be number 12 in royal approval ratings, with a popularity score of just 27%. His relationship with Charles is strained, but his relationship with William is positively dire. King William V is highly unlikely to look favorably on his wayward younger brother.
Prince George of Wales
William, Prince of Wales, has seemingly taken the burden of becoming the future king in stride. But then, he's had a lot of time to prepare himself for the role. William was 40 when his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died, making him next in line for the top job.
William will become king when his father, King Charles III, dies, and his oldest son, Prince George of Wales, will take over as heir to the throne. As of this writing, George is 10 — a mind-bogglingly young age to potentially take on such a hefty responsibility. His great-grandmother was the same age when she was unexpectedly forced to assume the role of heir when the shock abdication of her uncle, Edward, Duke of Windsor, put her father, King George VI, on the throne. Elizabeth's life, as she knew it, was immediately over. Although George was born into the position, it will likely still mean the same for him.
In his book "Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story," Robert Hardman claims that young George is not expected to undertake any royal duties until he is in his 20s. However, William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are already working hard to prepare their young son for his future responsibilities. "In [William's] view, it's not far off the most important job he has — raising the next King but one," a family friend said.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
A YouGov survey ranks Prince Andrew, Duke of York's approval at 8%, with 70% of the public disliking him. Andrew is the most scandal-plagued royal in modern history, thanks to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and numerous shady financial shenanigans. However, he managed to maintain his royal perks until Queen Elizabeth II was forced to strip her second son of his royal and military honors. Andrew's prospects didn't improve after her death.
"The king was never a great admirer of Andrew, even in the palmy days," royal correspondent Michael Cole told Sky News Australia in July 2023. Still, Charles is loathe to completely kick his little bro to the curb, and Andrew remains on royal soil, lurking in the shadows away from windows and balconies. William shows no such reluctance, though, and things look bleak for "Randy Andy" in the event of Charles' death.
According to Omid Scobie's book "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival," William was instrumental in ensuring Andrew's ostracization from the Firm. "William was keenly aware that the horrific allegations, the fallout from the embarrassing interview, and now the prospect of an out-of-court settlement involving money from the family's private wealth were all damaging the monarchy's reputation," a source told Scobie. GB News claimed that the future king was less than happy when his father pressured him into driving Andrew to church in August 2023, so it's safe to say William is determined that his uncle will never make a comeback.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the children of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, are already hanging on to royal perks by their fingernails. They were granted titles thanks to a Letter Patent written by their great-great-grandfather, George V, in 1917 (per British Line of Succession). It states that the offspring of any male heirs in direct line to the throne "shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of these our realms." Meanwhile, their cousin, Zara Tindall, struck out because she's the daughter of Andrew's older sister, Anne, Princess Royal.
Given their dire parentage, it's little surprise that Beatrice and Eugenie have never ranked highly in popularity. Their approval ratings haven't been helped by Andrew's never-ending scandals. "Unfortunately for Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, their father's conduct has had rather an adverse and actually disastrous impact on their royal futures," royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "The Princesses are most likely to become Lady Beatrice and Lady Eugenie since their father, Prince Andrew's, sexual assault scandal has purportedly poured ruin on their chances of becoming working royals."
The public has been pushing for a slimdown of the monarchy for decades. Beatrice and Eugenie are firmly in the crosshairs, with many questioning why they have titles in the first place. With William's disdain for their father, things look grim for the two once King Charles III passes on.
Queen Camilla
Queen Camilla hasn't had the easiest of rides. It's been a positively bumpy road to the throne for King Charles III's second wife. Following his death, she will become Camilla, Queen Dowager, and at the mercy of King William V. It's no secret that the relationship between Camilla and her stepson has been ... complicated. It's unlikely to improve any once his father is gone.
William was extremely close to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. He was understandably heartbroken by her death and didn't take kindly to her being replaced by Camilla, with whom Charles cheated on Diana throughout their doomed marriage. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, claimed in his controversial tell-all, "Spare," that William was torn apart by Charles' affair with Camilla. "Willy long harbored suspicions about the Other Woman, which confused him, tormented him, and when those suspicions were confirmed, he felt tremendous guilt for having done nothing, said nothing, sooner," Harry wrote.
Meanwhile, Royal biographer Angela Levin, author of "Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort," claimed that William has made friendly with his stepmom for his father's sake. Still, it's all bets off in the event of his death. Camilla is likely to be an outcast from the fold as the future king has already refused to recognize her as a close family member. "William has made it clear that Camilla is the wife of his father, but not a step-grandmother to his children," Levin wrote.