This story came from New Idea in the early days of lockdown. The article said that Queen Elizabeth was “expected to be pushed to step down to ensure the monarchy continues to function.”
Prince William would take the throne while Prince Edward would take on additional duties as well. On top of being totally made up, this story was also a bait-and-switch. There were no details in the story itself about Middleton and Prince William “taking the throne” whatsoever.
Prince William cannot supersede Prince Charles for the throne as that’s simply not how it works. Parliament has set up loads of rules and guidelines that make on-the-fly coronations pretty much impossible.
To make this even more ludicrous, imagine if anyone did replace Queen Elizabeth as regent. You would see headlines on every newspaper in the world, and it wouldn’t be relegated to tabloids like this.
Doesn’t this sound familiar? The same month as the previous story, In Touch ran an almost identical story about Queen Elizabeth “passing the crown on” to her grandchildren.
Queen Elizabeth “doesn’t know if or when she’ll be able to return to Buckingham Palace or resume her duties,” so she had decided to hand the kingdom to Prince William and Middleton.
For Prince Charles, this was “a bitter pill… to swallow,” but Queen Elizabeth still explained to him that “William and Kate have what it takes to save the monarchy right now.”
Gossip Cop busted this story by pointing out, once again, Parliament decides the line of succession, not the queen. It’s also worth noting that Prince William would also be hunkering in place with his family, so this whole myth of “needing to carry out royal duties” is just that: a myth.
In May, OK! reported there were “whispers” that Queen Elizabeth could be stepping down permanently after canceling public appearances due to COVID-19. An insider said, “She’s ready to hand the reins over to the next generation.”
This tabloid didn’t get too ludicrous with this story, for it said that Prince Charles would take the throne instead of Prince William. Just cause that part was logical didn’t make this story true in any way. Queen Elizabeth has remained steadfast in her rule over the United Kingdom despite loads of scandal and heartache. This vague story about what she “could” do never came to pass.