Royals No, Prince Charles Will Not Step Aside for Prince William to Be King In 2018, Queen Elizabeth publicly backed Prince Charles as the next Commonwealth leader By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 8, 2022 01:48PM EDT Prince Charles — not his son, Prince William — is England's new monarch. Amid the Thursday news of Queen Elizabeth's death at age 96, many have wondered whether the Prince of Wales, 73, will step aside for the Duke of Cambridge, 40, to succeed her on the throne. But in April 2018, Queen Elizabeth made the rare move of publicly backing Charles as the next Commonwealth leader, formally asking the Commonwealth Heads of Government to appoint Charles as her successor of the association of Britain and its former colonies. Even if the Queen had desired to skip Charles in favor of William, she did not have the power to choose her successor on a whim. The 1701 Act of Settlement is the act of Parliament that determines the succession to the throne and requires that a monarch's heir must be his or her direct successor (and a Protestant). That's Charles, not William. Prince Charles; Prince William. Ben Birchall/PA Wire/Shutterstock; Victoria Jones/PA Wire/Shutterstock And as the Queen does not truly have any political power, it was not up to her to change a law — instead, it would have to be taken up in Parliament, and it wouldn't be a quick and easy process. Camilla Will Be Named Queen Consort — But What's the Difference Between Queen Consort and Queen? Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth. HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth also said earlier this year that when Charles becomes the monarch, she wants his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to be known as Queen Consort. For more on Queen Elizabeth, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. In a February message timed to the eve of her Accession Day that this year marked the 70th anniversary of her becoming monarch, the Queen wrote that "when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! From left: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth in June 2022. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty In a July interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, Camilla praised her late father-in-law, Prince Philip, for the example he showed about how to be a consort and support the monarch and recognized that it must have been difficult for the "macho" naval commander to take a step back. "I learned that your place is several feet behind the monarch," added the Duchess of Cornwall, 75. "You're there as a back-up."