IT’S OFFICIAL: PREGNANT KATE TAKES THE CROWN!
The Queen shocks the palace with the news William and his hardworking wife are set to take the throne
During her 6565-year reign, Queen Elizabeth Elizab has had to make man many difficult decisions. But Bu none have shocked her family and the British public more than her announcement last week – that Prince Charles will never n be king. Instead, in a radical radic move, palace insiders tell Woman’s W Day the monarch has de decided her grandson Prince William Wi will skip past his father a and take the throne, with his dut dutiful wife, the Duchess of Cambrid Cambridge, as queen. Even more shocking, shocki royal watchers predict an abdication is imminent, with K Kate set to become a pregnant pregna queen. “It is quite possible p Kate will take the th throne before she gives birth next year,” a trusted palace palac source says. “In fact, it’s well on th the cards.” Despite having promise promised her eldest son he h will inherit the th throne, palace insiders say th the Queen was forced to make the tough call after she saw fi firsthand the resistance to Char Charles, 69, taking her place at official offici functions. As the 91-year91-year-old readies herself for retirement, retirem she’s asked Charles to take over several of her duties. d But during the Remembrance Day ceremony earlier this month, the usually stoic Queen was visibly distressed, even tearing up, as she watched Charles awkwardly attempt to fill her shoes.
SUPPORT FOR WILLIAM
It was the final straw, says our source, coming on the heels of a recent poll that showed an overwhelming 51 per cent of Brits want to see William become king, compared to just 22 per cent backing his father.
And while the public have found it difficult to welcome Camilla into the fold in light of her affair with Charles while he was still married to Princess Diana, it’s a dilemma William certainly doesn’t face.
In the six years she’s been married to William, Kate has worked harder than most to prove her worth as a member of “the Firm”. And the public have fallen in love with her generous nature and down-to-earth style.
Still, Charles and Camilla haven’t taken the Queen’s decision lying down. “Camilla has told Charles to ‘man up and fight’, ” says an insider. “She’s fuming and has told him it was his destiny to be on the throne.”
We’ve learned the Duchess of Cornwall, 70, even phoned Kate personally to tell the young royal she and Charles refuse to be passed over – so she and William need to back off!
“Kate was taken aback, she was really embarrassed and just told Camilla, ‘It’s not up to me,’ ” says another royal insider of the tense conversation.
The Queen’s decision might be radical, but royal experts say Kate and William are the best people for the job.
“Charles is not really up to being king – he just doesn’t have the energy or the ideas,” one expert tells us. “William and Kate are the future – and it would be better for the royals, and better for Britain, if they were to become king and queen while they are still young. At 35, they are both far more suited for the roles.”
While Kate will certainly have her hands full raising four-year-old Prince George, two-year-old Princess Charlotte and a newborn – as well as being queen – one long-time royal watcher believes she’s more than capable of taking on the massive task.
“The duchess has what it takes to make it all work,” Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell said recently. “She hasn’t put a foot wrong yet.”