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Fact check: No, King Charles III has not relinquished the throne to Prince William

The claim: King Charles III ceded the throne to Prince William after Queen Elizabeth II's death

Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8 at 96 years old, ending her 70-year reign and leaving the throne to her eldest son, now King Charles III.

A video that has been widely viewed on Facebook claims Charles has since relinquished the throne to his eldest son, Prince William, who is next in the line of succession.

“Bad news for Queen Camilla as Charles cedes throne to William immediately,” reads the caption of the Sept. 18 video, which was viewed more than 100,000 times in 10 days.

But the claim is incorrect. Charles has been officially proclaimed king and has chosen the name King Charles III as his title, though a date for his coronation has yet to be announced. There is no indication he has given up the throne. Instead, he has already begun carrying out his duties as monarch.

The seven-minute video never actually claims Charles ceded his throne. Rather, it cites a Washington Post report that quotes Robert Hazell, a professor of government and constitution at University College London, as saying that when Charles made his personal declaration during his accession ceremony, his phrasing “indicated very clearly that he expects to be king for the rest of his life.”

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

Charles pledges his 'remaining time' to the nation

A day before Elizabeth marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, she released a statement indicating she expected Charles to succeed her, saying "when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me."

Charles, in his first national address, made a pledge similar to the one his late mother had made decades earlier, saying "I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation."

There have been no reputable reports of throne passing to William.

There are other indicators that suggest Charles has no intention of giving up the throne any time soon.

Fact check: Video of man protesting predates Queen Elizabeth II's funeral by over a decade

This week, Charles' royal cypher was revealed to be a monogram that combines his initial "C" with "R" for Rex, Latin for king, plus III for King Charles III, the BBC reported.

New bank notes featuring Charles' portrait are "expected to enter circulation by mid-2024," the BBC also reported, while details about the appearance of new coins are expected to be revealed "over the coming weeks."

USA TODAY has debunked several baseless assertions about the queen's death, including false claims that "The Simpsons" predicted her death, that the BBC reported 5.1 billion people watched her funeral and that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was denied entry to the queen's funeral.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Charles ceded the throne to William after the queen's death. Charles immediately became king upon the queen's death and has since been officially proclaimed king. There is no evidence he has ceded the throne, and Charles has said he plans to use "the remaining time God grants me" to uphold his nation's principles.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim King Charles ceded throne to Prince William