With thedeathofQueen Elizabeth, her eldest childPrince Charlesimmediately assumes the throne.
“He will be crowned probably in a year,” Kate Williams, history professor at England’s Reading University and author ofYoung Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen, tells PEOPLE. “The coronation ceremony usually takes a year because it’s seen as unseemly, really, to have a coronation ceremony straight after someone’s death. It’s a long period of mourning.”
Although at various points there has been speculation that Charles, 73, might step aside to allow his son,Prince William, 40, to take the reins, there is no truth to that notion.
For more on Queen Elizabeth, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
“He’s waited for this, and he’s sure he can do a good job of it. People suggest that Charles will abdicate because William andKate [Middleton]are more popular,” says Williams. “That’s not the case. He’s absolutely convinced he can do a good job of it.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.Aaron Chown/AFP/Getty
Abdication, which is more common in other European royal houses when a monarch reaches a certain age, is extremely rare in England. The last time a king abdicated the British throne was December 11, 1936, whenKing Edward VIII stepped away from the monarchyafter nearly one year in order to marrydivorced American Wallis Simpson.
With his accession upon the death of his mother, Charles inherits the responsibilities and privileges of a consecrated king, except one — he won’t be allowed to publicly wear a crown until his coronation. (This is why there are no official photos of King Edward VIII with a crown, as he abdicated ahead of his coronation — a fact that was touched on in Netflix’s hit seriesThe Crown.)
Prince Charles and Prince William.James Veysey/Shutterstock
RELATED VIDEO:Queen Elizabeth, the Longest-Reigning British Monarch, Dies at 96
Charlotte’s spot in the royal line is due to a 2013 succession law that allows the crown to pass on in order of birth regardless of gender. (Up until then, succession rules stated that the crown would pass to the eldest male heir and only to a female heir when there were no other male heirs available.)
“That might seem like a minor thing, but it is a big victory for equality,” Williams says of the amendment. “It says to people, which [the Queen] proved more than anyone, that a monarch is a job and a woman can do it just as well as a man.”
Given that she is third in line, Charlotte’s seat on the British throne is unlikely to transpire, although there will be some shifting among the royal family’s various titles in the wake ofQueen Elizabeth’s death.
King Charles and Prince William.Duchess of Cambridge, Kensington Royal/Instagram
“Prince Williamdidn’t have a title other thanPrince Williamuntil he got married, and that will be the same for George. They don’t usually award dukedom unless [the royal gets] married,” says Williams.
William will also take over the Duchy of Cornwall, one of two royal duchies, from his father. The Duchy of Cornwall, which was established to provide the eldest male heir with a private income, has become very lucrative under Charles, according to royal records. William, whostudied agriculture and how to run an estatein special classes at Cambridge in 2014, will be expected to maintain the thriving duchy.
source: people.com
