In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death last week, some have wondered if it just might spell the end of the British monarchy, and many question whether King Charles III can keep the institution as alive and relevant as his mother did.
And if ancient prognosticator Nostradamus is right in his predictions, those people just might be on to something.
A book written by an expert on the 16th-century fortuneteller says that he not only predicted Queen Elizabeth II's death, but that King Charles III, her son and successor, will abdicate the throne.
\u201cNostradamus predicted that King Charles is set to make a huge decision https://t.co/0WiLkeV5s1\u201d— The Independent (@The Independent) 1663079460
But that's not all Nostradamus predicted, nor is it the prediction sure to be the most controversial. He also predicted Prince Harry will one day sit on the throne.
Yes, that Prince Harry, the one who, along with his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from his royal duties and left the United Kingdom for Canada and California, sparking widespread outrage among British royalists and causing the estrangement of his father, King Charles III.
The predictions come via author Mario Reading, a leading expert in Nostradamus' writings who wrote a book about them called Nostradamus: Complete Prophecies for the Future.
Reading says Nostradamus predicted the correct year and age at which Queen Elizabeth II would pass away in poems written in the 1500s. Reading wrote about the poem way back in 2005:
“The preamble is that Queen Elizabeth II will die, circa 2022, at the age of around ninety-six, five years short of her mother’s term of life.”
Nailed it. Reading went on to write of the now-King Charles III:
“Prince Charles will be seventy-four years old in 2022, when he takes over the throne, but the resentments held against him by a certain proportion of the British population, following his divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales, still persist.”
Safe to say that's still true, 17 years later, and only a small part of why many question whether the monarchy, which many Britons believe to be an outdated and inappropriate institution for modern times, can withstand Queen Elizabeth II's death.
Reading goes on to write that Nostradamus' prophecy mentions “a man will replace [Charles] who never expected to be King"—which many interpret to mean Prince Harry. Fifth in the line of succession to the throne, after brother Prince William and his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, Harry is not expected to ever be king.
On Twitter, the predictions definitely raised lots of eyebrows, for those who adore and oppose the monarchy alike.
\u201c#KingCharlesIII \n\nWhen Harry was born, I thought of what I had once heard from Nostradamus, that a King Henry would end the British Monarchy.\nWill this happen after Charles take all the flak for the royals' crimes before he resigns?\u201d— WhitePill #DrainTheSwamp (@WhitePill #DrainTheSwamp) 1662978987
\u201cSomeone at work told me Nostradamus predicted Charles would abdicate but leave the throne to Prince Harry, not Prince William. I had my best "aye, righto" face on throughout\u201d— King Henry III's Polar Bear (@King Henry III's Polar Bear) 1663004543
\u201c\ud83c\udf1fInterestingly, the death of #QueenElizabeth and the accession of Charles III in 2022 was predicted \ud83e\udd14 in the book about Nostradamus, published in 2006 ~\n\ngood prediction \ud83d\ude43 it goes onto say #Charles ends up passing it onto a son ~ \ud83e\udd14 neat if true the prediction that is ~\u201d— Steven Thomas (@Steven Thomas) 1662845825
\u201cNostradamus also predicted the end of the world in 2012 lol.\nhttps://t.co/5vbcU5OHqn\u201d— TDL (@TDL) 1663112430
\u201cWhat's your thoughts on the Nostradamus prediction of the queens death? It was in his book written in 2006 that the queen will die in 2022. But he stated that Charles will become King then give it up to Harry as something will happen to pass up William in the chain. Crazy huh?\u201d— America First Conservative - 1A 2A Advocate 2.0 (@America First Conservative - 1A 2A Advocate 2.0) 1662997197
\u201cI just read about Nostradamus\u2019 predictions about King Charles and the events of 2022\u2026 and now I want to read EVERYTHING this man predicted.\u201d— Sophie (@Sophie) 1663056646
\u201cWell, it's good news for Prince Harry fans https://t.co/G8xgxRu9eE\u201d— Daily Star (@Daily Star) 1663014660
\u201cCharles l dissolved parliament and lost the monarchy- Charles ll restored the monarchy. Curious to see what Charles lll does. Will Nostradamus be right? Is this the end of the road for the British royal family? Kinda hoping it is\u201d— Daughter of Mercury \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddff (@Daughter of Mercury \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddff) 1662891785
\u201cI haven't changed my mind about Camilla. She's still rancid. And Charles is not the King of Hearts, he's a feeble minded bully. Hopefully Nostradamus was right about their fate. #AbolishTheMonachy\u201d— \ud83c\udf97JennyD\ud83c\udf97#peaceandjustice \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f\ud83e\udd9c (@\ud83c\udf97JennyD\ud83c\udf97#peaceandjustice \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f\ud83e\udd9c) 1663089306
\u201cKing Meghan the Nought?\n\nhttps://t.co/6AhKPeAZg8\u201d— David Lawrence (@David Lawrence) 1663077686
Nostradamus is said to have predict several world events, including the September 11 terror attacks and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
He also supposedly predicted the world would end in 2012, however, so... grain of salt!
Wedding Cake GIF by daisymlink
season 1 couples GIF by Portlandia
Rainbow You Are Gay GIF
Happy To Be Here Jerry Springer GIF
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram
@ellendegeneres/Instagram