Can Prince Charles better influence events by renouncing the throne?

Question

I have a great deal of respect for the Prince of Wales, and share many of his beliefs, in particular over the environment, over architecture, over opportunities in inner cities. He is the Prime Minister we can never have, because as the Heir to the throne in a constitutional monarchy, he is not allowed to take a political stand, even when he feels an issue is of world-breaking importance.

We have got to this stage now, where Prince Charles truly believes that developments in agricultural technology and their sponsorship by large foreign multinationals could effectively destroy the world's ability to feed itself, and most probably cause an ecological catastrophe within this century that humanity has never before witnessed. It is a highly political statement and needs to be said.

I have sometimes considered forming a Prince of Wales party, so that his ideas can have a voice in the House of Commons.

A generation ago, Viscount Stansgate [can someone please tell Yahoo's spell checker I am not trying to write "Satanist"] renounced his title so that he could stand for Parliament for Labour, and became a very well-known Left-wing politician. His son is in the present cabinet.

Where can Prince Charles best influence events? As Prince of Wales, under constant constitutional caution, and probably later as King, or as a commoner where he may well lose his place in society and therefore his influence?

Would any renunciation also affect Prince William's claim to the throne?

Answer 1

Should Charles abdicate then William would become King.  I think Prince Charles can have more influence in his role as Prince of Wales and future monarch because people pay more attention to him when he appears in these roles.  If he just stepped down then he might fade into obscurity.

Answer 2

Prince Charles cannot "renounce the throne". The line of succession is set by the Act of Settlement 1701 and there is no mechanism in English law for anyone to renounce their claim. An Act of Parliament would be required to remove him from the line of succession. Also, each of the other Commonwealth Realms would require to give consent to this, or provide their own legislation. Prince William would not be effected unless Parliament decided otherwise.

Actually, since heridetary peers in the House of Lords where abolished, the Prince could technically become Prime Minister, as he can now stand as an MP (he could not previously as he was a Royal Duke and a member of the House of Lords). Of course his mother, the Queen, may choose not to appoint him.

In reality, members of the Royal Family are supposed to be apolitical and not share their political views (exceptions being things like charity or the environment).

Answer 3

Ahhhh I throw hoops at your hat and I win a bag of sweets and a candy floss.

I hope that he will continue as he is.  If he refuses to become king then William will.  

Answer 4

the throne, hahahaha, o cheeryo we have and queens and what not, pip pip.

Answer 5

He is an over-indulged pompous in-bred bore who has too many sycophants laughing at his tedious jokes and applauding his half-baked "ideas". He should be quiet about the environment until he stops zipping around by air; he should be quiet about morality until he has apologised to the nation about his behaviour in his marriage. He is not so much the Prime Minister we can never have as the King we will never want. As for his sons they clearly want to escape and should be allowed to do so.

Answer 6

Charles has no influence, other than in his own fevered ego

Answer 7

If Queen Elizabeth lives as long as her mother (another 19.3 years), then this will be the respective ages of the following four people:

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Charles, Prince of Wales 79.1

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 80.4

Prince William 45.5

Kate Middleton 45.9

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If the queen died tomorrow, Charles will be the oldest man to inherit the throne from a parent. In five years he will be the oldest man to accede to the monarchy. With the exception of Queen Elizabeth the oldest age ever attained by a monarch was 81.7 years old (both Queen Victoria and King George III).

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The only reason I think that Charles would renounce his claim to the throne is if he has a chronic illness when his mother dies.

Only one king has ever renounced his claim to the throne, and he gave up any claims for his children. Of course, he had no children at any point in his life.

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Ultimately parliament can decide who is king. I don't think the precedents matter that much.  

Answer 8

He will have more influence as a Prince or King, if he became a politician he would be dancing around for votes. All the politicans do is change and lie inorder to get the votes. And they're only in office for a certain amiunt of time, people will remember him if he is King.

Answer 9

When Edward VIII chose the woman he loved over the Throne in 1936, it didn't affect younger brother George VI's place in the queue. Accordingly, since English Common Law is based on precedent, Prince William as heir apparent to the heir apparent would become King.  As other posters have pointed out, however, Prince Charles really doesn't have much of an option, according to the Act of Settlement (1701).  

Prince Charles would undoubtedly be a very wealthy commoner upon renouncing the Crown, but the Prince of Wales' current influence comes from the position he has trained from birth to have. For most Americans, at least, Prince Charles also comes across as an eccentric dilettante, so I'm not sure how much international influence he would have if he lost his place in line.  Don't confuse influence with celebrity (which is what he is outside of the United Kingdom).

Answer 10

Charles is extremely unlikely to renounce his right to the throne. He is well known for his love of organic farming so this speech came us no surprise to anyone.

As a future monarch (unless his mother outlives him) he needs to be apolitical. Most (if not all) members of the direct royal family don't vote as their support of a political party could be seen to be a political influence on the monarch.

There is now no need for hereditary peers to renounce their title as they no longer have the right to sit in the House of Lords, indeed there are hereditary peers now sitting in the House of Commons.

If Charles did renounce the throne it would not affect Prince William's right as he is the Heir apparent. Although when Edward VIII abdicated he renounced his right and the right of his descendants this was to avert a constitutional crisis added to the fact that he was childless at the time (and therefore abdicated in favour of his brother).