King Charles III may not follow in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II when it comes to how long he'll remain sovereign, a former royal staffer suggests.

Ex-royal butler Paul Burrell speculated that King Charles might abdicate and pass the throne to his eldest son, Prince William, in a decade, the New York Post reported.

Burrell, who served Princess Diana for over a decade, said he thinks the 75-year-old British monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, are working on a "10-year plan" before stepping down.

"I think it will happen in this country. I think the King and Queen have given this job 10 years, I think this is a 10-year plan," Burrell predicted.

He went on to suggest that Charles is strategically "buying time" and will likely follow the example set by European monarchs who have handed over the reins to their heirs.


Prince William, Kate Middleton, Queen Camilla and King Charles
Kate Middleton, Prince William, Queen Camilla and King Charles attend the "No Time To Die" World Premiere at Royal Albert Hall on September 28, 2021 in London, England. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Burrell said he believes that Charles, having observed changing dynamics among crowned heads in Europe, will not want to continue as monarch indefinitely as his mother did during her reign.

Drawing a parallel with Prince Philip's decision to step back, Burrell noted, "The King will know exactly what to do and take a page out of Prince Philip's book and say, 'I've done enough' and want to do things he wants to do."

"I think the country will embrace a new, young king and queen, and it will complete the circle that Diana's son will be king," Burrell said, referring to Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton.

While Queen Elizabeth II remained monarch until her death at age 96 in September 2022, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II officially stepped down on Jan. 14 for her son, Frederik, to take over the throne.


Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark gives a New Year's speech from Christian IX's Palace, Amalienborg Castle, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 31, 2023, announcing her upcoming abdication. Keld Navntoft/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Although Burrell believes King Charles is likely to follow Queen Margrethe's lead, other royal experts like Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," dismissed the likelihood of the British monarch abdicating.

In an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month, the royal biographer argued that Charles waited longer than his predecessors to ascend the throne, and his mother set a precedent by refusing to step aside during a flurry of abdications in Europe in 2013 and 2014.

"I can say with certainty that abdication is not in the cards," Andersen insisted.

Meanwhile, royal expert Omid Scobie claimed in his book "Endgame" that Prince William is in "heir mode," which has caused tension in his relationship with his father, Us Weekly reported.

The Prince of Wales "knows his father's reign is only transitional ... and is acting accordingly," Scobie wrote.


Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla
(front row from L) Britain's Brigitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla, (back row from R) Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence and Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend "The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance" ceremony at Royal Albert Hall, in London, on November 11, 2023 as part of the Remembrance Day commemorating the end of World War I. CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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King Charles III, Prince William, Queen Margrethe II, Queen Elizabeth II, British royal family