Prince William has quashed speculation that he could become the next King ahead of his father, the Prince of Wales
Prince William has quashed speculation that he could become the next King ahead of his father, the Prince of WalesIn an attempt to end the debate over the issue of succession, Prince William has signalled that there is "no question" about whether his father will be the next monarch, despite his surge in popularity following his engagement to Kate Middleton.
Royal aides insist that Prince William (28) has "no desire to climb the ladder of kingship" prematurely, following two recent polls by ICM and YouGov that found that most people believe he would make a better king than his father and think that Prince Charles (62) should stand aside for his son.
A senior royal aide said, "There is no question in Prince William's mind that the Prince of Wales will be the next monarch.
Prince William is aware of the speculation, but he is very thick-skinned. He knows his place in the Royal family and he considers himself to be very low down the food chain. He has no desire to climb the ladder of kingship before his time."
Royal sources also said that Prince William did not share his late mother's view that he is more suited to the role of king than the Prince of Wales.
In 1995, Diana, Princess of Wales gave a candid television interview to the BBC in which she said that the role of king would bring "enormous limitations" to Prince Charles, and that Prince William may be better suited to succeed the Queen as monarch.
A royal source said, "Prince William is enormously proud of his mother and all her achievements, but that is so far off what he thinks. He is very close to his father and incredibly supportive of him and his work as the Prince of Wales.
"Both of them will let nature take its course. There is no suggestion from anywhere within the institution that a generation will be skipped."
Prince William is known to be sensitive at being seen to encroach on his father's role as heir to the throne and rarely attends official engagements with his father to avoid the spotlight falling on him rather than Prince Charles.
Poll chooses sonBut according to the YouGov poll, only 15 per cent of the public felt that Prince Charles would make a better king, while 56 per cent preferred Prince William.
Royal aides also confirmed that Prince William, who works as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, will not be stepping up his royal duties following his marriage to Miss Middleton next year, despite St James's Palace receiving huge demand.
A royal aide said, "The Prince is not yet a full-time member of the Royal family first and foremost he is an RAF officer and he will continue in his role at RAF Valley until at least 2013.
"After that time, he may wish to continue in some role in the military, or begin his training for kingship, which may involve attachments to various government departments to learn more about constitutional affairs."
Wills for WC
As a search and rescue pilot, Prince William is used to tough assignments, but tomorrow he flies into Zurich charged with the nearest thing to Mission Impossible: rescuing England's World Cup bid.
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England's bid is considered third favourite, behind Russia and the joint bid from Spain and Portugal. Only the joint bid from Holland and Belgium is more of an outsider.
Prince William, president of the Football Association, will lead a charm offensive, at the Bar Au Lac hotel, where Fifa's 22-man executive committee will be staying.
