Prince Charles won't step aside for Prince William, claims expert

Queen's eldest son Prince Charles is "desperate" to be king and so will not "consider abdicating" in favor of Prince William when Queen Elizabeth II dies, according to a royal biographer.

Tina Brown, author and former editor of Vanity Fair, has discussed Charles' future as a "transitional" king and wider issues faced by the monarchy today in connection with her new book The Palace Papers.

Discussing Charles in the context of the British public's attitude towards him as a future ruler and how he can make an impact following such a hugely popular reign as that enjoyed by his mother Elizabeth, Brown compares him with the son of Queen Victoria, Edward VII, commenting that:

On an episode of The New York Times' Sway podcast with Kara Swisher, brown said: "He was a kind of shock absorber for the next reign. And I kind of think that's what will happen in Charles. A lot of people are very pessimistic about Charles taking over. I actually am not one of those."

Swisher then asked Brown why it was that Charles' popularity is much lower than the queen's, to which she responded: "Because we know too much about Charles. He has always been something of an Eeyore feeling. One of his favorite mottos is, oh, just my luck. You know?"

"However, I actually think he'll surprise people. I think he will," she added.

Author Tina Brown has told The New York Times "Sway" podcast that "desperate" Charles would not "consider abdicating" for Prince William in the next reign. 

On the rumors that have circulated for decades as to whether Charles would potentially abdicate and give the throne to William when the next reign comes, Brown laughs at the prospect.

"Why anybody thinks that," she told Swisher, "I mean, Charles is so desperate for this freaking job. I mean, you know, he's waited 50 years for this. I mean, there's just no way."