According to Woman’s Day, the future of the royal family is in doubt because of COVID-19. “We were facing the possible demise of the next two in line to the throne and all eyes were on Duchess Kate, who was nothing but the epitome of strength throughout it,” an insider said. Middleton’s calm during the period of “absolute turmoil and terror” has proved “she’s got what it takes to be queen.”
The tabloid then describes what would happen should Prince William and Prince Charles both pass away: “7-year-old George would be crowned king and a regency council would be appointed to carry out duties in his name until he’s 18.”
This is mortifying, the magazine and an anonymous source say, as the highest-ranking royals would then be “Harry and Prince Andrew,” whom the tabloid describes as “two of the most controversial royals in history.” The article closes by saying, beyond the “complete heartbreak of losing her husband, the consequences [Middleton] and George were facing was nothing short of terrifying.”
This whole story takes place in the past tense for a reason: The line of succession is completely fine. It was a shock and no doubt terrifying for Middleton and everyone when father and son contracted the coronavirus in April, but both recovered quickly. This Woman’s Day story is just fear-mongering after the fact.
There’s also no crisis to be had here. The rules of succession are crystal clear, and the line of succession goes well into the hundreds. If anything were to happen to Prince William and Prince Charles, then the rules are there to ensure that the royal family would survive. Plus, Queen Elizabeth is still alive, so Prince George would still be waiting.
Prince William deliberately and successfully kept his diagnosis a secret until he volunteered the information. How would Woman’s Day know how Middleton dealt with the illness when it didn’t even know Prince William was sick? If the tabloid really had insight into this story, then it would’ve broken the story.
In this story, Prince Charles’s life hangs on a razor’s edge. Just a few months ago, this tabloid reported that he was being crowned king in a lowkey coronation ceremony. So he’s healthy enough to become the king, but the line of succession is still in crisis? This tabloid also said that Prince William had landed in Los Angeles to confront his brother, but no such trip ever happened.