Whilst his wife Queen Camilla and sister Princess Anne put on brave faces at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle earlier this week, in order to honour King Constantine of Greece who sadly passed away last year, royal fans noted that King Charles III wasn't in attendance at the special service of Thanksgiving. In fact, King Charles' health has meant that he's largely stayed out of the public eye recently and fans are curious as to why and what King Charles' latest health update is.
In sad news revealed in a statement by Buckingham Palace on 5 February 2024, King Charles III, 73, has been diagnosed with cancer.
The official statement read, ‘During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
‘His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.
‘The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.
‘His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.’
Naturally, there was an outpouring of support for King Charles with everyone from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to football pundit Gary Lineker sending their well wishes.
In addition, Prince Harry flew to the UK for a 26-hour visit and was reunited with his father for less than an hour after his shock cancer diagnosis. But as well as the support, a lot of questions also arose around what King Charles’ cancer diagnosis means for the UK, leading everyone to ask what will happen if King Charles dies.
What will happen if King Charles dies?
Should King Charles III die, the day will play out as follows. The first step will be to inform the rest of the royal family, followed by the Prime Minister – currently Rishi Sunak. Eventually the press (and therefore the public) will be informed. A note announcing King Charles’ passing will also be pinned to the gates of Buckingham Palace and flags will be lowered to half-mast.
Prince William will then assume the title ‘King’, but his actual coronation won’t happen until several months later. In the case of King Charles, his coronation occurred in May 2023, eight months after Queen Elizabeth II passed away.
King Charles’ body will then be moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey ahead of his funeral where he will ‘lie in state’ as Queen Elizabeth did, with the public queuing to pay their respects.
What is Operation Menai Bridge?
Much like all major royal operations, there’s a name for the plan for what happens when King Charles dies: Operation Menai Bridge. Fun fact: there was actually a reference to Operation Menai Bridge in season four The Crown during the family’s skiing holiday.
The name 'Menai Bridge' comes from a suspension bridge in Wales, presumably in reference to King Charles’ formal title The Prince of Wales.
Whilst Operation Menai Bridge has been in place for a while, plans began in earnest immediately after Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Who takes the throne after King Charles?
According to the line of succession, Prince William is next in the line to take the throne after King Charles III. That means he become King immediately after King Charles III pass away, with Kate Middleton assuming the role of Queen Consort as Queen Camilla did. As with King Charles coronation after Queen Elizabeth's death, there will be another coronation to officially appoint Prince William as King. Coronations usually take months to plan, so it is unlikely to happen straight away. King Charles coronation took place eight months after Queen Elizabeth died, while Queen Elizabeth herself waited 16 months to be officially crowned after her father, King George VI's death.
What is a regency?
At this point, there's no suggestion that King Charles is unable to perform his royal duties, and since his diagnosis has been pictured at his weekly audience with the Prime Minister. But should he become unable to perform his duties then the question of whether a regency is required arises.
The Regency Act (1937) is essentially a royal protocol stating that should the monarch become incapacitated, then their power would transfer to the next royal family member in line to the throne, in this case Prince William, without them have to abdicate the throne. Prince William would essentially have all the powers of King Charles, without the official title.
The last time The Regency Act was required was 200 years ago when eventual King George IV became Prince Regent.
In order for The Regency Act to come into effect, three or more of the following must declare its necessity in writing: the sovereign’s wife aka Queen Camilla in this case, the Lord Chancellor (currently The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP), the Speaker of the House of Commons (Lindsay Hoyle), the Lady Chief Justice (Sue Lascelles Carr, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, DBE, PC) and the Master of the Rolls (Sir Geoffrey Dos). King Charles has no say in the matter and does not need to agree with their decision.
Do we get a day off if The King dies?
As with the death of Queen Elizabeth, the UK will not receive a day off if the King dies however the date of his funeral will become a public bank holiday, as will William’s coronation when he becomes King.
What happens to Queen Camilla if King Charles dies?
Should Queen Camilla outlive the King, she will likely take on the title 'Queen Dowager' which essentially means ‘the widow of a king’.
When Elizabeth II’s mother was widowed by the death of King George VI in 1952, his wife Queen Elizabeth became 'Queen Mother' – a title that Queen Camilla would not be able to take, as William and Harry’s mother was Princess Diana.
As to her role within the royal family, Carolyn Harris - co-editor of the book series English Consorts: Power, Influence and Dynasty - says, 'My supposition is Queen Consort Camilla would likely keep up her charitable roles related to literacy and domestic violence. She could be an honorary head of military regiments, but that would all be the result of lots of discussion with the new monarch.'
In addition, Queen Camilla will be expected to move out of Buckingham Palace and retire to a smaller residence. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother moved to Clarence House after her husband passed away so it's likely that Queen Camilla will follow suit.
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer on Grazia.