Suggestions that King Charles should abdicate like Denmark's Queen Margrethe are 'unwarranted,' royal commentators say

• Denmark's Queen Margrethe has announced plans to abdicate the throne.
• The news has sparked speculation over King Charles' future role.
• Royal commentators told BI that the king is unlikely to hand the throne to William.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's abdication has sparked renewed interest in King Charles' future as king of the United Kingdom.

But royal commentators told Business Insider that he is unlikely to follow the same path as the Danish monarch, despite a recent suggestion that he could resign in order to slim down the monarchy.

Speaking in her annual New Year's Eve address, Margrethe II, 83, announced her intention to hand the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik, on January 14.

The queen, who reigned for 52 years, said she received back surgery in February 2023, prompting her to think about the Danish monarchy's future.

"Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future — whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation," she said. "I have decided that now is the right time."

In the wake of Queen Margrethe's announcement, commentators have drawn comparisons between the Danish monarch and Charles.

Royal biographer Phil Dampier told the Daily Mail that Charles, 75, could also consider abdicating if his health suffers or if "he just thinks it is a good time to pass on to William and Kate while they are still young."

And columnist Simon Jenkins wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian with the headline: "King Charles should follow Denmark's example — and tell us when he'll abdicate." Jenkins went on to suggest that Charles could fulfill his goal of slimming down the monarchy by following the example of Margrethe and other European monarchs who have stepped down from the throne.

Buckingham Palace declined Business Insider's request for comment on the matter.

Charles won't follow Margrethe's example, experts say

Royal author Victoria Arbiter told BI that the recent comparisons between Charles and Margrethe are uncalled for, especially since the public doesn't know "the full circumstances surrounding the queen's decision."

"She's been on the throne for more than half a century; King Charles is barely two years in. The comparisons are unwarranted and have no merit," Arbiter, cohost of the YouTube show "Dickie and Vickie's Royal Report," told BI.

"There's no reason why the king should abdicate. He's healthy, capable, committed and blessed with the same sense of duty exhibited by his parents," she added.

Meanwhile, royal historian Marlene Koenig told BI it's unlikely that Charles would pass the throne to William so soon after his coronation in May.

But even so, it's impossible to ignore that William, 41, is considered more popular than his father, according to data-gathering organization YouGov.

Kate Middleton and Prince William are regarded as the most popular living royal family members, with a 71% and 69% respective approval rating among adults surveyed by YouGov in the final quarter of 2023. Charles, meanwhile, has a 52% approval rating.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told BI that while it's unlikely Charles will resign, it's possible he will give William more responsibility — and thus an even higher profile — to prepare him for his future role.

While Fitzwilliams didn't elaborate on what these responsibilities would involve, it's worth noting that the prince has taken on a more senior role since his father took the throne. In September 2022, William inherited more than $1 billion worth of property from Charles in addition to his father's former Prince of Wales title, The Guardian reported.

"Let William learn about being heir to the throne first," Marlene added, echoing Fitzwilliams' comments.

The Danish and British royals have faced public scandals in recent years

Queen Margrethe's abdication announcement came after a challenging year for the Danish royals.

Margrethe II faced criticism from several of her own family members in September 2022 after announcing plans to remove four of her grandchildren's royal titles.

And more recently, a Spanish tabloid reported in November that Prince Frederik was having an affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. Casanova has publicly denied the rumors, and the Danish royal house declined to comment when previously contacted by BI.

Meanwhile, the British royal family has faced its own set of challenges since King Charles took the throne in September 2022. In January 2023, Prince Harry made several revelations about the royals in his memoir, "Spare," including implying that Camilla leaked a story to the press about Meghan Markle and Kate's disagreement over bridesmaid dresses in 2018.

And in November, Charles and Kate Middleton were named as the royal family members said to have made racially insensitive remarks about Prince Archie's skin tone before he was born.

The names were printed in the Dutch version of Omid Scobie's book, "Endgame," which the publisher cited as a translation error at the time. The names were not mentioned in the original English-language edition of the book, and the Dutch version that contained the names was pulled from shelves in the Netherlands before new copies were printed.

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace did not respond to BI's previous requests for comment on the matter.