King Charles 'surreptitiously' preparing for abdication?

King Charles is planning for abdication and "leave the show" to his eldest son Prince William once "incredibly difficult transition phase" for the monarchy comes to an end, a royal expert has claimed.

Royal expert Clive Irving previously claimed that the monarch, who celebrated his 76th birthday last month, is planning to "leave the show" to Prince William.

King Charles' planning to abdicate was even before his cancer diagnosis was announced earlier this year.

Clive Irving had told the Daily Express US, per Daily Record: "It may have already been surreptitiously planned that the King will abdicate when he's 80."

The royal expert added: "He [Charles] wants to just have his moment in the limelight for a few years, make sure that William and Harry are carried through what's going to be an incredibly difficult transitional phase for the monarchy.”

"And then Camilla can retire to Balmoral and leave the show to William and Princess Kate. I suspect that's what's going to happen," Clive Irving continued.