Vinnie Jones says King Charles should have stepped aside for William and Kate

British actor and former footballer Vinnie Jones has said King Charles III should have stepped aside to allow Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, to become king and queen, arguing that the monarchy should have upheld its traditions.

British actor and former footballer Vinnie Jones has said King Charles III should have stepped aside to allow Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, to become king and queen, arguing that the monarchy should have upheld its traditions.

Jones, who describes himself as a royalist, made the comments on The Louis Theroux Podcast, saying he believed Charles should have given way to his eldest son after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

“You see, I think [Charles] went against the grain. I think they moved the goalposts for him with Camilla, and I’m a William and Kate supporter now. I think they’ve done it right,” Jones said. “I’m a right traditionalist. I love tradition.”

Asked whether Charles should have been barred from the throne because he married a divorcee, Jones said he had hoped the king would voluntarily step aside.

“I was hoping that he would have done the right thing and said, ‘Thank you very much. We’re going to step aside,’ and William and Kate are going to be the king and queen,” he said.

Jones’s remarks refer to the controversy surrounding King Edward VIII, who abdicated in December 1936 after deciding to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced twice. Edward’s decision allowed his younger brother to become King George VI.

Charles became king on September 8, 2022, following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. He had married Camilla in 2005, after both had previously been married to other people.

The article also refers to speculation about whether Charles might eventually abdicate in favour of William. Paul Burrell, a former butler to Princess Diana, previously suggested in 2024 that Charles and Camilla might have a 10-year plan for their reign.

Burrell said at the time that he believed the king might eventually hand over the throne to William. However, his comments were speculation and do not establish that Charles has a plan to abdicate.