After divorcing Princess Diana, Prince Charles became one of the royal family’s least-liked members. Many people question why he is still the future King of Britain despite his unsuccessful marriage. King Edward VIII had to renounce his claim to the throne before marrying a divorcee, American actress Wallis Simpson.

One royal fan asked on the online forum Quora why Prince Charles was still eligible to be king despite his divorce from Princess Diana and marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, a fellow divorcee.

Everything comes down to the fact that things have changed. According to the Succession to the Crown Act of 1707, the sovereign must be a Protestant, which is more essential now than being a divorcee or marrying a divorcee. After all, King Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves in order to marry Catherine Howard and still reigned.

Updated legislation and societal attitudes that did not exist in the 1930s may readily explain Charles’ eligibility. One user responded to the issue by saying that not only have the rules of Succession to the Crown evolved, but so have popular expectations of the monarchy.

“It looks very much like the expectations of the monarchy of themselves have changed to come into line with the expectations the public have for themselves,” the user wrote. “It also seems that the public expectation of how much the person in the role can reveal of their private selves has broadened.”

Another user went into more depth about the problem and the scenario, detailing how much things had changed and how Charles can and will continue to be king since his marriage to Camilla resulted in “absolutely no constitutional, legal, or religious impediments.”

During King Edward VIII’s reign, he had many relationships with married women, notably Wallis Simpson, who was previously divorced and still married to her second husband.

Naturally, King George V and Queen Mary were dissatisfied with their relationship. Following the death of King George V, Prime Minister Baldwin said emphatically that his planned marriage to Wallis was opposed by the government, the people, and the Commonwealth.

But King Edward VIII insisted on marrying her. Knowing that marrying Wallis against the advise of his ministers would result in the government resigning and a constitutional crisis, he chose to abdicate in order to marry the love of his life.

Princess Margaret created a constitutional problem in the early 1950s when she fell in love with the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend.

Margaret’s situation was complicated by the Queen’s permission.

Her sister, the queen, could not give Margaret permission as the head of the Church of England.

Permission is required for royal weddings in order for any offspring born from the marriage to assume their position in the line of succession.

In addition, Princess Margaret was not permitted to have a legal civil wedding at the time since she did not have authorization to marry in the Church of England.

Legal experts at the time cautioned that Margaret, who was bound by the Royal Marriages Act 1772, was not covered by the Civil Marriages Act 1949.

Prince Charles retains his right to the throne because Queen Elizabeth II permitted him to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, a divorcee. According to the 1772 Royal Marriages Act, members of the royal family must get the sovereign’s consent to marry. So, since Queen Elizabeth let Prince Charles to marry Camilla despite their past, there is no reason for Prince Charles not to be king.

Divorce was mostly regarded immoral within the Church of England throughout Edward VIII’s reign, particularly if the divorced individual planned to remarry while their former spouse was still living. However, since circumstances have changed and Princess Diana is no longer alive, Charles does not face quite as many roadblocks.

“Times have changed a lot since then,” one user added. “Socially, divorce is not considered reason for a person to be deemed socially unacceptable and nor is a divorced person re-marrying while their former partner is still alive. Charles’ former partner Diana is no longer alive, although Camilla does have a living husband. While some of the more extremist conservatives in the Church of England may not agree, the prevailing view is that divorce and re-marriage are no longer grounds for excommunication.”