18 Things That Will Happen When Prince William Becomes King

Queen Elizabeth II is one of the longest reigning sovereigns in history. If she stays on the throne until 2022, she will officially be the longest reigning sovereign in the world. While she has had almost seventy years on the throne, it is likely she will abdicate soon. If she passes away before she abdicates, the throne will go to the next in line. This means that Prince Charles will become the king. If he abdicates, or if he passes away, the next in line for the throne is His Royal Highness, Prince William.

Prince William is the oldest son of Prince Charles and the people's princess, Diana. He has been in the spotlight for as long as he has been alive, excessively so since his mother's tragic passing. Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton was one of the highest publicized events on television. With two children, and one on the way, this family has become known as “The Royal Family,” regardless of the other members of the family. When he becomes king, a lot of things will change in his life and within his reign. There are some bizarre things that will happen and change once he becomes the official king.

18 He Will Have To Choose His Name

Unless you have watched The Crown, you may not know that the sovereign has to select what they will be called upon taking the throne. Generally, these names are ones that have already belonged to someone in the monarchy. This is why there have been so many King Georges and King Charles. Lucky for William, his name has been used in the monarchy before, so he could keep his name.

If he chose the name William, he would be King William V, pronounced as King William the Fifth. He is expected to keep his own name, but he could surprise everyone by selecting a name like Henry or George.

While Queen Elizabeth selected her own name when she took the crown, her father changed his name to George upon taking the throne.

17 The National Anthem Will Change

National anthems are known for staying the same, as it is a part of history. The United States has had the “Star-Spangled Banner” since the 1700s. In England, the anthem is currently “God Save The Queen.” When William becomes king, if his father abdicates, the anthem will have to change to “God Save The King.”

If William follows his father, the anthem will have already been changed. There are a few phrases that have to be changed from feminine to masculine terminology to make it fit the new sovereign. Most of the current anthem refers to “her” and “she.” This is the former anthem. After almost seventy years with “God Save The Queen,” the new anthem is going to take some getting used to for commoners and royals alike.

16 Kate Will Not Have The Right To Rule If William Passes First

When William becomes the King of England, his wife will become queen. Queen Kate, or Queen Catherine, as she is expected to go by, will technically be the queen consort.

If William is to pass away before Kate, she will not have the ability to rule the country. This is kept to the royal bloodline, which Kate married into.

This is why there is a line of succession.

Kate Middleton's title will be just that-a title. William will have all of the power. Even though Kate will not take his place if he passes away, she will keep the title of queen until she passes away. The person who would have the power after William's passing would be Prince George, Kate and William's oldest son.

15 Currency Will All Have To Change

Currently, England's currency has the face of Queen Elizabeth II on it. When she passes away or abdicates, the currency will change to the next sovereign. This is supposed to be Prince Charles. If he takes the throne, the currency will be printed to have him on it. When he dies, or if he abdicates, Prince William will become king and currency will have to be reprinted again.

From paper money to coins, it will all feature William's face on it. This is a massive blow to England's economy, but it is a standard that they have set with past kings and queens.

“King” William may not use typical currency on a day-to-day basis, but commoners will see his face every time they buy groceries or have to pay for a service.

14 A Funeral and Mourning Session Will Be Held

William can only become king if the Queen dies and his father abdicates, or if his father passes away after taking the throne. Regardless, there will be a mandatory mourning period for the entire country. The funeral and mourning ceremonies for the Queen will likely be more extravagant than if “King” Charles passed, as her reign was long. When a royal passes, it is not announced until eight o'clock in the morning, should the passing happen overnight.

Their official portrait will be shown on television along with their corresponding anthem. Comedy shows will not play on certain networks, as to respect the country's mourning. There will then be a viewing and a burial for the deceased royal. The entire country will ultimately close down to pay their respects to their former king or queen.

13 A Coronation Will Be Held

After the country has time to mourn the loss of the last sovereign, a coronation will be held to welcome the new King William as the sovereign of the country. This will likely be months after the passing of the last ruler, as to be respectful.

The coronation will welcome a variety of other royals and politicians as well as important leaders of religions. They will bear witness to this passing on of the crown.

The coronation of the king is expected to be significantly shorter than Queen Elizabeth's three-hour long coronation. This coronation may or may not be broadcast through England and other countries. A lot of planning will go into this based on what advisors and Prince William would like to do, all while maintaining tradition.

12 Young George Will Be The Next In Line

An amendment of a law was recently passed to say that; female children of royals would not be surpassed by their male siblings just because of their gender. This will impact future succession lines to the throne.

When William becomes king, the next in line will be his son, George. With Prince George being born in 2013, it is likely he will be very young when he becomes the next in line to the throne.

If William became king this year, his five-year-old son would be the next ruler of the country. Following George would be Princess Charlotte, his little sister. Kate Middleton is pregnant with the next royal child, who will be next in the succession line, regardless of their gender. Hopefully, William will reign long enough for George to learn how to spell his name.

11 He Cannot Appear As A Court Witness

When William becomes king, he can watch all of the crimes he would like to without having to fear that he will spend time in court. After becoming the King of England, William will no longer be able to be a witness in court. This could be unfortunate if William is the only person to see a terrible crime happen. This also means he cannot help in any case of treason if he were to hear anything.

While this takes the burden off the royal, it could prevent important information from being shared with a court. Generally, royals are not in the wrong place at the wrong time, meaning there would be no need for William to stand trial. In extreme circumstances, it is likely he would issue a statement to the court.

10 The Country's Behavior Will Reflect His Actions

The nation will turn to William for many different things. William, as the king, will represent the country. His loyalty to the country will be something that people will mirror. His patriotism will become an example for others. His inclusion of others when addressing the nation will lead to others' acceptance of those individuals.

He will ultimately become the person that commoners and other royals will mirror the actions and words of.

If William was to show disdain for his country, it is likely that commoners would start showing disdain for the country as well, finding flaws throughout. It will be important for King William to take pride in his country and participate in national holidays, as to get the rest of the country to follow suit.

9 Charity Work Will Be In The Limelight

Prince William and Duchess Kate have made sure to put a major focus on charity since they got married. When William becomes king, it is expected that he will continue to embrace charity work.

The soon-to-be King and Queen focus on mental health charities as well as charities that involve youth. This will likely become a part of their daily duties after William's coronation as well. This could be a wonderful thing for the country, as commoners will start to mirror the philanthropic ways of these royals.

The country will then be focused on helping others, especially those who are not as fortunate as others. This will become common practice within the country. While the royals do charity work now, William and Kate have gone above and beyond.

8 The Family Will Move Houses

Prince William, Duchess Kate and their children currently live at Kensington Palace. This had been the home of Princess Diana until her tragic passing.

When William becomes king, the family will move from this four-story palace to Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is approximately eight stories tall and has almost 800 rooms within it. This is where the royals will do their entertaining and will allow some of their visitors to stay.

A variety of ceremonies will also be hosted at this palace. Many people have offices within the new house of William and Kate. This palace will give the royals' three children plenty of room to play and grow while the parents run the country. With the new living quarters come new rules and traditions that William and Kate must follow, including dress codes.

7 Charlotte Will Be The First Daughter To Not Be Surpassed By A Brother

In 2011, after the marriage of William and Kate, laws were amended regarding the succession of the crown. In the past, the sons have taken priority in terms of order to the crown. This would mean that if Duchess Kate had another male child after Charlotte, he would take priority over her in order of succession.

However, with the change of rules, Charlotte will be second in line for the crown when her father is king, only coming after older brother George. The new royal baby, regardless of gender, will fall in line after Princess Charlotte.

This will be a first for the royal family. Had Charlotte been the first child born to William and Kate, she would be in line to be queen after her father. The royal family is becoming modern.

6 The Queen's Training Will Pay Off

Queen Elizabeth II has had a lot of faith in her eldest grandson for a long time. She started training him to take the crown when he was a young teen. The Queen started preparing William to be king by having him look through the state boxes to review the papers inside. This helped William learn what he was supposed to do with them and helped educate him on a variety of issues he would have to handle as king.

Queen Elizabeth II had not been so fortunate as to get these lessons prior to taking the throne. The Queen is expected to start advising William on how to conduct a royal visit as king by bringing him on trips. She wants William to learn what to do based on his perception of what she is doing.

5 He Will Advise, But Not Have Much Say

As the sovereign, William will have three major rights and several different duties. King William will be expected to advise parliament about possible dangers that others may cause while also advising them to take a certain course of action. He will not have any actual say in a variety of decisions. He is ultimately an influencer that can be ignored.

Even if he advises against something, if Parliament decides to create a bill against his advice, he will have to sign it. William must put his own feelings and opinions aside when it comes to these bills.

Generally, the Prime Minister will take note of the sovereign's opinions and will push towards what they are saying. There are instances in which there can be great disagreement between the sovereign, prime minister and members of parliament.

4 William and England Will Be Synonymous

As the main influencer over the people of England, people will consider King William to be a depiction of England. His thoughts about his people will be what others think of his people. The statements he makes will be what people think England represents as a whole. The way William dresses and presents himself will reflect how people think his people are in terms of temperament and respectfulness. William is responsible for uniting the people of England and making sure the rest of the world sees England how he does.

It is important that William realizes the power of his voice and actions, as he will impact how the entire world, including his people, conduct themselves in regards to England. There will be a lot of weight on his shoulders.

3 The King Will Broadcast Live On Christmas

The Christmas Broadcast is an important part of British culture. This has been a tradition since 1932, when King George V broadcast a Christmas message to all of England. The first broadcast reached over six different countries.

It became an annual broadcast in 1939 with King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II continued this tradition through her time as queen, with only one year offering a repeated documentary on her family instead of her live broadcast.

The Queen took it a step further and broadcast on television. It is expected that the next sovereign will continue this. With William being such a big family man, it is possible that he will do the Christmas broadcast alongside his wife and children.Nevertheless, this will be a continued tradition every Christmas day.

2 Stamps And Post Office Boxes Will Change

The Queen's face and initials are all over the post office and its related documents. Stamps in England boast the Queen's face, despite the fact she never has to use stamps. Mailboxes currently say “E II R” representing Elizabeth II. When William becomes king, he will have to pose to have his face put on their postage stamps. He, also, will never have to use these stamps, but the rest of the country will.

Depending on the name he chooses, mailboxes and will be changed to reflect his name. Assuming he keeps the name William, they will say: “W V R.” This will be a costly change that will happen over time and will take a bit of a hit to the economy, but many commoners will be excited at the change of the era.

1 He Will Appoint Bishops

William will take over the current roles of the sovereign when he becomes king. As the King of England, William will become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This will continue the practice of Anglicanism among the royals. This role will give William some power within the church. As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, William will have the ability and duty to appoint both archbishops and bishops to the church.

He will generally consult with the current Prime Minister of the UK in order to make this decision, as the Prime Minister will get advice from leaders of the church. This helps William make the most informed decision. This also means that William will become a Defender of the Faith, keeping consistent with the royals before him.