17 Jan Prince William cannot be king if he is not head of the Church of England, says late Queen’s former chaplain
PRINCE William should abdicate when he ascends to the throne if he is not prepared to be head of the Church of England, according to Queen Elizabeth’s former chaplain.
Dr Gavin Ashenden was responding to a report which claims that the prince is not a regular churchgoer and could break ties with the church as king.
He told GB News: “I think it’s very interesting and it’s almost certainly true. William doesn’t show any signs of being alive to the vibrancy of Christian faith.
“And in that sense, he is very representative of his generation, but 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…it would take an army of lawyers ten years to do it.
“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 actually 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 who can.”
In a discussion with Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner, he continued: “Secular Europe has lost the faith and is replacing it effectively with wokery, if you like.
“So, it’s hard to know how much the church has failed and how much the people don’t want something that disturbs our enjoyment of life.
“When people come close to death, suddenly it looks a bit different but it’s certainly true that he’s reflecting a discomfort with Christianity in Europe, but I think that’s to his loss and our loss.”
He added: “I don’t think it’s a virtue, not knowing what you’re doing here as a human being. It’s not a strength of character.”
