OK! Exclusive: Prince William & Kate Middleton To Take Over The Throne After Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II made history by officially becoming the longest-reigning British monarch on Sept. 9 and she’s about to make history again by willingly stepping down from the throne, which will be assumed by Prince William and Kate Middleton!

A source told OK! magazine that the Queen has chosen to skip Prince Charles, 66, who has been first in line since he was just a toddler, and is instead passing the crown to her 33-year-old grandson.

“It’s been a tough pill to swallow for Charles,” an insider revealed. “He’s spent his whole life waiting to succeed his mother. He initially flew into a rage, ranting that the crown is rightfully his. But then he began to see her way of thinking.”

The Queen’s decision to make Will and Kate the King and Queen of England was practical, according to the royal source, who said she chose the young couple because they are “simply far more beloved than Charles ever was.”

“They’re stunned,” a palace insider said of William and Kate. “The idea of having Charles step aside for the good of the monarchy had been whispered about, but they never believed it would happen.”

The coronation is set to take place at Westminster Abbey and will likely take place shortly after the Queen’s 90th birthday next April with a handful of celebrity guests and notable people—and, of course, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.