Prince Charles allegedly made the difficult decision to no longer ascend the throne.

In its Jan. 10 issue, Woman’s Day claimed that Prince Charles knows that he’s not as good and as popular as Prince William. So, during one of their conversations, the heir to the throne told his eldest son that he wants him to take over the British monarchy when the time comes.

“Charles is feeling rather glum about it all. He’s lost his father, his mother is ill, he’s served as an unofficial regent for several years now. And still, the British public hasn’t really warmed to him. He knows he’s not popular and despite being a trailblazer on things like climate change and the environment decades before, they were hot button issues, people still tend to see Charles as an out-of-touch old duffer,” the source said.

The insider also claimed that Prince Charles is in the worst possible headspace because of everything that’s been happening to him and his family. So, his palace staff is allegedly worried that he would call for an impromptu press conference and announce his decision to step down even before he ascends the throne.

“He’s dreading it. Don’t get me wrong. In some ways, he’s desperate to be king, but he’s realizing there’s going to be unsavory elements to it in the first few years, largely because people don’t have any affection for him or Camilla whatsoever,” the source said.

Prince Charles is also, allegedly, stressing over the thought that no one would celebrate him and his ascension when the time comes. So, he thinks that it’s best not to push through with it even though he’s waited for this day to come for decades.

However, one should take the tabloid’s claims with a grain of salt. As of late, there’s no indication that Prince Charles wants to back out from his role as kind. And as the heir to the throne, he cannot really back out from the job until after his ascension.

Rumors about Prince Charles not ascending the throne have been rife for years especially since there’s no denying the fact that Prince William is more popular than him.

However, it is important to note that the Order of Succession doesn’t have anything to do with popularity but a royal’s birthright. So, even if a royal is unpopular, as long as he’s the monarch’s successor, he will become king one day.