King Charles hints at leaving throne for young Prince William

King Charles III has left royal fans guessing about his possible abdication in the near future with a surprising admission during a hospital visit on Wednesday, September 3.

The 76-year-old, who always puts on a brave face while undergoing cancer treatment, hinted at handing over the throne to his eldest son Prince William due to his advanced age, saying: "Bits don't work so well when you get past 70."

He made the meaningful comments in a hilarious way while communicating with a patient after officially opening Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham.

The monarch spoke about his health with the cancer patient named Matthew Shind. He told the 73-year-old: "I'm not too bad," when asked about his recovery.

The monarch also met Jacqueline Page, 85, in one of the hospital's acute elderly care wards, where she told him that she was "wearing out."

Cracking a joke back, King Charles, who will turn 77 in November, replied: "I know, this is the terrible thing, as I am discovering already. The bits don't work so well when you get past 70."

The King, who has been fighting cancer for the last 18 months, fueled speculation about abdication with his words, as some royal historians, commentators, and fortune tellers have already predicted that the British King will leave the throne to his young heir, Prince William, due to his advanced age and ongoing cancer treatment.

Last year in February, Buckingham Palace announced that the King was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment. He had had a procedure to treat a benign enlarged prostate that January, but a spokesman clarified he does not have prostate cancer.

The King followed doctors' advice and postponed public-facing work for three months, but continued to undertake state business and paperwork behind the scenes.

He resumed forward work in April 2024 and palace sources said before Christmas that his treatment for cancer would continue into this year.

On March 27, the palace announced that the King was briefly hospitalized following an adverse reaction to his routine treatment for cancer.

Such setbacks are not uncommon and a royal source described the scare as "the most minor bump in the road that’s very much heading in the right direction."

King Charles' advanced age and her cancer diagnosis left people guessing about the future of the monarchy.

The monarch is said to be making things easy for the Prince of Wales to ensure he has as smooth a transition to power as possible, easing the things for the future king during his his reign.

Related: King Charles shares major update on his health in Birmingham hospital