A former Chaplain to the late Queen claims Prince William will not be allowed to abandon the Church of England even though he "doesn't show any signs of being alive to the vibrancy of Christian faith".
Robert Hardman, whose new book The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy will be released on January 18, has argued that the Prince of Wales may not follow in his father's and grandmother's footsteps by becoming the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
According to an excerpt in the book, there is speculation that William, 41, may not take the title.
However, Doctor Gavin Ashenden who was the former Chaplain to The Queen explained that it is "not that simple."
Prince William "only attends church on Easter and Christmas"
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Speaking to GB News, he said: "It's very interesting and it's almost certainly true. William doesn't show any signs of being alive to the vibrancy of the Christian faith.
"In that sense, he's very representative of his generation. I don't think he understands the monarchy because although lots of people have talked about disestablishing the Church of England and changing our constitutional arrangements, they're immensely complex and they go back through 500 years of legislation.
"What we could do is have a referendum and have a republic and start all over again. Lots of countries do that.
"But unpicking and unwinding our present arrangements are simply beyond the scope of our resources. It would take an army of lawyers and 10 years to do it.
Doctor Gavin Ashton has explained that he will have to "take on the burden"
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"So I think he either has to accept the fact that this is a role he plays, whether he likes it or not, which is part of the burden of monarchy, or if he feels that strongly and he can't do it, then step aside and abdicate and see if there's somebody else in the royal succession."
He added: "It's certainly true that he's reflecting a discomfort with Christianity in Europe.
"But I think that's his loss and our loss. I don't think it's a virtue. Not knowing what you're doing here as a human being is not a strength of character."
The title has been in association with British monarchs since King Henry VIII in the 1530s, who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church.
Prince William 'does not share the King's sense of the spiritual'
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In his book, Hardman wrote: “In royal circles, it is no secret that he does not share the King's sense of the spiritual, let alone the late Queen's unshakeable devotion to the Anglican church.
"His father is very spiritual and happy to talk about faith but the prince is not.
"He doesn't go to church every Sunday, but then nor do the large majority of the country.
"He might go at Christmas and Easter but that's it. He very much respects the institutions but he is not instinctively comfortable in a faith environment."