The current British monarchy, which traces its history back to William the Conqueror will not survive for long, a novelist has told The Sunday Times.
Hilary Mantel, the author of the historic "Wolf Hall" trilogy on the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, believes the Queen and her heir apparent Prince Charles are taking their job very seriously and doing it "as well as anyone possibly could".
But the scandalous writer, who was accused of hating England after bashing Brexit voters , doesn't see the royal system as having a future in the UK.
"It's very hard to understand the thinking behind the monarchy in the modern world when people are just seen as celebrities", the historian told The Times.
According to Mantel's "back of the envelope" calculations, the British monarchy will collapse just in two generations.
Prince George, who is currently third in line to the throne, will thus not get a chance to inherit the crown from his dad Prince William if these predictions are correct. The Duke of Cambridge, in turn, is expected to become king after the Prince of Wales ascends to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The 95-year-old monarch is currently spending the summer at her Balmoral home in Scotland, her first summer trip to the estate after the death of her husband Prince Philip in April.
While the Queen still remains the most popular royal among Britons – far outstripping scandal-ridden Prince Andrew, and her runaway grandson Prince Harry – the monarchy has seen declining support among young people. According to a May survey by YouGov, 41% of young Britons now believe that Britain should have an elected head of state, while only 31% said that the monarchy should remain.