Prince William Is “Quietly Preparing” to “Step Up” as King Charles’ Health Declines

Prince William and King Charles were recently spotted together at the Natural History Museum reception for the COP30 climate summit, and the resulting photos have fans talking—and not just Wills is rumored to be feuding with the King at the moment.

The recent photos of the 76-year-old King—who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024 and has been undergoing cancer treatment since early this year—have raised concern about the monarch’s health. Royal insider Tom Sykes even claimed he was “horrified by photographs that have emerged,” adding, “It’s impossible to look at these images…without seeing how much King Charles’s health has declined.”

What’s more: a senior courtier tells Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop that the Palace is “quietly preparing William to step up—fast,” as “the illusion of perfect health is collapsing.”

the king and the prince of wales attend 'countdown to cop30' event

Max Mumby/Indigo – Getty Images

Of course, this isn’t all that surprising. Back in April, insiders told Harper’s Bazaar that—while there are no plans for Charles to abdicate—the royals have been preparing for William to become King “earlier than expected” for years now.

“The people I’ve spoken to have said that the succession planning, as they call it, began even before Charles’ diagnosis,” royal author Tom Quinn told the outlet. “I mean, he’s the oldest Prince of Wales to become king in history, so succession planning had begun before Charles came to the throne simply because of the age issue.”

King Charles offered a rare update about his health last month while meeting with cancer patients at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. According to Hello! magazine, the King told a patient, “I’m not too bad,” when asked about his recovery.

More recently, during his appearance on Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveler, Wills gave a similarly vague update about his father’s health, noting, “Everything is progressing in the right way, which is all good news.”

This ^^^ all comes amid reports that Will is intending to be a “part-time King,” per royal commentators. As a royal expert recently told RadarOnline, “People are worried that by putting family life and privacy first, William could start to lose touch with the public. The late Queen always believed visibility was essential—and some think he’s pulling back more than he should.”