Palace Pushback

Prince Charles is at odds with Queen Elizabeth II over her decision to name Prince William and Kate Middleton king and queen

Prince Charles fights for the throne after Prince William and Kate Middleton are picked to be king and queen.

During her 65- year reign, Queen Elizabeth II has missed the sacred Remembrance Day wreath-laying ceremony honoring Britain’s military dead just six times — and that was only when she was either out of the country or pregnant. And since 1953, she’s always laid the wreath herself. But on Nov. 12, the monarch, 91, stood on a balcony overlooking London’s Cenotaph as her eldest child, Prince Charles, took her place.

He wasn’t her first choice as stand-in, though. “The queen wanted her grandson, Prince William, to do it,” an insider reveals. “It would have sent out a strong message that he is the future of the monarchy.” As Life & Style previously reported, Queen Elizabeth has chosen young, charismatic William and his wife, Kate Middleton, both 35, to become king and queen when she dies — and instructed her firstborn to abdicate to make that happen. But Charles, 69, has vowed to put up a fight, Life & Style has exclusively learned, and he used the wreath-laying ceremony to push back as he makes his case to take back his birthright. That sudden assertiveness has sparked so much tension at the palace that now the queen and Kate aren’t even talking! “There is no way Charles is going to give up the throne after waiting his entire life to take it,” says the insider.

UNDER PRESSURE

His wife, Camilla, 70, was also pushing him to take action. The British public never warmed up to her, in part because her affair with Charles effectively torpedoed his marriage to William’s mother, the late, beloved Princess Diana. Earlier this year, a poll found that just 14 percent of Britons want Camilla to become queen (and only 36 percent of Brits think Charles has been good for the monarchy). But Camilla has felt entitled to wear the crown since marrying Charles 12 years ago. She doesn’t automatically become queen if Charles is named king, but he could elevate her to that title. “Camilla always hoped to be the next queen of England,” says the insider, “and has been pushing Charles to stand up for himself and fight for the throne.”

So when he learned about his mother’s plan to tap William for Remembrance Day duties, Charles asked the monarch to give the role to him instead, says the insider. Despite her view that he’s too unpopular to represent the royal family, Elizabeth acquiesced. “She hates conflict,” says the insider, “and later admitted Charles had done a good job at the service.”

Charles never imagined he’d be battling his son for the throne. It’s a strange situation for William to be in, too. “William feels torn between his father and grandmother,” notes a palace source. “It’s a difficult balancing act, but he thinks it will all sort itself out as time goes on.” The queen believes there’s nothing left to figure out. “Elizabeth still wants William to be the next king,” says the palace source. “She wishes Charles and Camilla would just accept her decision.”