King Charles III did not cede throne to his son William

After Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8, her eldest son, Charles, the former Prince of Wales, became king.

News reports have captured the sentiment of some people in the United Kingdom who say they would have preferred that Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, ascended to the throne. But posts linked to that wish don’t reflect reality. 

"Bad news for Queen Camilla as Charles cedes throne to William immediately," one Sept. 18 Facebook post said. 

Another Facebook reel claimed that Elizabeth "changed her mind about giving the throne to Prince Charles" and "now her eldest grandson," William, is readying for the throne. 

These posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook.)

Although Charles hasn’t been coronated yet, the throne passed to him immediately and without ceremony "at the moment the queen died," the BBC reported. He was officially proclaimed King Charles III on Sept. 10 in front of the Accession Council, a ceremonial body. 

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Elizabeth "always signaled her support for Charles’ accession," The Washington Post said in a story stomping on some people’s hopes that the crown skip a generation to William.  

In a statement issued Feb. 5, the day before the 70th anniversary of the queen’s accession to the throne, Elizabeth thanked people for their support and said, "When, in the fullness of time, my son becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife, Camilla the same support that you have given me." 

She said that it was her "sincere wish" that Camilla be known as "queen consort." 

The laws are in Elizabeth’s favor, the Post noted, especially the 1701 Act of Settlement, "which states that the monarch’s heir must be the monarch’s direct successor."

The paper spoke to Robert Hazel, a government and constitution professor at the University College London, who said that when Charles made his personal declaration as part of his accession ceremony, his wording "indicated very clearly that he expects to be king for the rest of his life." 

Claims that Charles is ceding the throne to William rate False.