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Who will be the new Prince of Wales? Prince William is the 'natural' choice as oldest among eight in line for throne

Prince William is widely expected to be the next Prince of Wales, however, only King Charles III can officially take the final decision

BY ANJANA PV

PUBLISHED SEP 8, 2022

Prince Williams is expected to be the new prince of Wales (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

LONDON, ENGLAND: After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there have been heated discussions on who will be the next "Prince of Wales." It is widely accepted that Prince William is the next to claim the title as he is the eldest son of King Charles III.

According to The Washington Post, William is also expected to inherit the title of Duke of Cornwall, one of the many titles held by the King. If so, William will then inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate of 150,000 acres, with a yearly income of around $27 million.

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Meanwhile, Prince William is now first in line to the British throne and is expected to one day become king. This will only happen when King Charles III dies or if he retires or abdicates and chooses to pass the crown to his son. However, the King has the final decision-making power on whether or not to name Prince Williams as the new Prince of Wales. Also, when the time comes for William to be crowned king, his wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, will become the Queen Consort. Their firstborn child, George, will likely inherit his father’s dukedoms.

Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge during a visit to Heart of Midlothian Football Club to see a programme called 'The Changing Room' launched by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in 2018 and is now delivered in football clubs across Scotland during day 2 of the Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge visit to Scotland on May 12, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. — Prince William is now among the first line to be the King after Prince Charles (Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The 40-year-old Duke of Cambridge is expected to become the new Prince of Wales, with his wife Kate Middleton taking on the new title as Princess of Wales. William is the oldest among the royal family, among the top eight in line, and is followed by his three children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four. Prince William has become a highly popular figure as a Royal Family member in recent years. His wedding to Kate in April 2011 was watched by an estimated two billion people online. The royal duo is popular for their down-to-earth nature and William has also become more involved in royal matters in recent years. The couple often visits different nations and these foreign trips have helped them to engage with global communities. One extremely publicized trip was the one to Pakistan in October 2019.

Prince William exchanges rings with his bride Catherine Middleton in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams inside Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, to Catherine Middleton is being held in London today. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. — Prince William's and Kate Middleton's wedding was watched by more than two billion people (Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

He was also known for his intervention in Prince Andrew's case that centered around the controversy sparked by Andrew's "friendship" with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. According to DailyMail, Prince William is said to have discussed with the Queen and Prince Charles about Andrew's future following the controversy and he recommended his removal from public life. However, there is no automatic succession to the Prince of Wales title. According to royal custom, the title is renewed at the Sovereign's pleasure. This is why Charles became the 21st Prince of Wales when he was nine years old and was only invested in the position in the ceremony acknowledging the creation of a new Prince of Wales - 11 years later in 1969.