Royal Abdication: Prince William NEVER Wanted To Be King!
The British royal family has its list of succession which they must strictly follow. Currently, Queen Elizabeth II rules the monarchy. She will then be succeeded by Prince Charles (heir to the throne), Prince William (first reserve), and his children -- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
William, being the firstborn son of Charles, knew that one day he will be king, but he apparently hated the idea of it and even suggested having Prince Harry take over.
In an interview with Mirror, British journalist Jeremy Paxman revealed that he had a conversation with Princess Diana shortly before her death. According to him, they would always talk about William and Harry.
"About a year before she died, her secretary rang me up and asked me to lunch. I've no idea why. She was stunningly glamorous, as you can imagine," Paxman narrated. "We talked about our children, and she said William often told her that he didn't really want to be king, and then Harry would say, 'If you don't want the job I'll have it!'"
However, Queen Elizabeth II -- William's grandmother -- began preparing him for the future role despite not wanting to do it.
As time went by, the Duke of Cambridge clearly learned to embrace the role, serving the monarchy with his wife Kate Middleton and their three children.
"I don't lie awake waiting to be king, because sadly that means that my family will have moved on, and I don't want that," William once told BBC News.
Until the day he becomes king, Prince William pledged that his primary focus will always be raising his family. In fact, in 2016, right before Charlotte's first birthday, he publicly stated that he was concentrating on his role as a father.
William and Kate have not told George he's going to be king, too, as it is the couple's way to teach him that no matter what position he is in, it is essential to be a good person while serving and doing their duties.
Queen Elizabeth II Felt The Same, Too
All heir to the thrones and first reserves probably felt the same pressure as Prince William. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II also did not want to be the monarch in the beginning.
According to royal expert Robert Lacey, Her Majesty prayed so hard for a baby brother to jump ahead of her in the line of succession. However, she only had her youngest sister Princess Margaret, to whom she gave her vote to be the ruling monarch as a permanent substitute.
But due to the primogeniture -- or the original rule in line of succession -- and the fact that King George VI only had Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, the Queen gave up and followed the birthright instead.
After King George VI died due to lung cancer in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II took over the throne at the young age of 25, marking the beginning of her 68-year reign and counting.
