Edward IX (b. 1935), has been King of England since 1972, when he succeeded his father, William V. Edward is the first English monarch not to also have dominion over Scotland, Wales and Ireland since the Act of Union in 1603. Edward IX was previously King of the United Kingdom but gave up this title with the Dissolution Act of 1991, which split the UK up into its four constituent parts. Edward IX's reign has seen the lowest level of popular support for the monarchy, with as many as 65% of Britons either favouring or having no opinion on abandoning the monarchy and switching to a republican system. Many suggest that Edward will be the last King of England, and that his son and heir, Prince Richard, will never be King.