As Queen Elizabeth II is passing more and more of her responsibilities to her royal successors, rumors have been rife that the 92-year-old English queen will be choosing her grandson, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, over his father, Prince Charles, who is first in line to the throne.
Although Prince William and Kate are undoubtedly popular, this news simply isn’t true because of one thing — Queen Elizabeth does not have the power to choose her successor based on her wishes. Simply put, the law does.
The 1701 Act of Settlement is the act of Parliament that determines the succession to the English throne. The act requires that the heir must be the monarch’s direct successor, period. Even if the Queen would want to make changes to the succession, the law would have to be taken up in Parliament for amendment, which would be a long and tedious process.
Sorry, royal fans.
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