King Charles expected to give his son Prince William this ultimate honour within the next 10 years to ‘complete the family circle’, expert reveals

Former royal butler Paul Burrell has shared his thoughts on the huge change expected between King Charles and Prince William's father-son relationship

Prince William and King Charles attend the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles III and Queen Camilla
(Image credit: Getty Images)

King Charles is expected to pass on an ultimate honour to his son Prince William in the next 10 years and when he does it will 'complete the family circle', a former royal butler claims.

King Charles' son Prince William is second in line to the throne in royal succession and he's taken on more responsibilities since getting his new royal title the Prince of Wales. And former Royal Butler Paul Burrell believes, that in light of the recent abdication of the Queen of Denmark, who stepped down at the end of last year to make way for her son King Frederik X, King Charles has a "10-year plan" and could soon pass the honour to his son.

Speaking on behalf of Slingo, He said, "Since the beginning, I have thought that the King is buying William time and in ten years the King will be in his mid-80s. I don’t think he will want to continue being King when crowned heads of Europe have found that they can hand over to their heirs and see them become monarchs and enjoy it.

"The Queen would never have done that because she came from a different generation, her entire life was moulded around being a monarch. But the King will know exactly what to do and take a page out of Prince Philip's book and say ‘I’ve done enough’ and want to do things he wants to do."

He added, "I think the country will embrace a new, young King and Queen and it will complete the circle that Diana’s son will be King.”

Queen Camilla, King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for a photograph ahead of The Diplomatic Reception in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Monarch, 75, has returned home to recuperate following an operation on his enlarged prostate and while he takes time out from royal duties, his wife Queen Camilla has stepped in to carry out some solo royal engagements.

King Charles isn't the only royal who has been absent in recent days, Kate Middleton is also recuperating following a 'planned abdominal operation' and won't return to royal duties until after Easter, Kensington Palace confirmed.

Paul believes the royals will be seen more in the second half of the year. He explained, "They will come back for the social season, we will see them bloom again in the summer with Royal Ascot and the garter ceremony. In the autumn if Kate’s health is well enough I foresee a royal tour because the King and Queen don’t like long-haul travel so I see a tour to Canada or Australia for William and Kate. Kate is too big an asset for the royals to lose, she is the future of the family. 

“They are very together and consolidated. I think the King has a plan for the next eight years but I believe he will follow suit of the Queen of Denmark, he would want to see his son crowned, who wouldn’t want to see their son reach the pinnacle of their career. I think King Charles has a different approach to his mother, I think he will work hard for ten years and they say it's time for retirement and watch his son blossom.”

In other royal news, Kate Middleton has made ‘confident choice’ to ‘be more hands-on with her children’ as she prepares to become Queen, says royal expert and Prince George will be starting to feel the ‘pressure’ of his future role as King with many royals currently out of action - but his mum and dad are determined to delay his official debut.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)