Fast battleships absorbed the battlecruiser's wartime role

Were major navies planning a new battlecruiser during the Second World War?

The role had largely migrated into fast battleships. Vanguard is Britain's battlecruiser-like type, alongside King George V and Lion classes intended for other parts of the capital-ship force.

By the Second World War, a fast battleship could combine enough speed and protection to perform much of the former battlecruiser mission. Vanguard is the closest Royal Navy equivalent, while the King George V class replaces older R-class ships and the Lions follow the Queen Elizabeth generation. Britain still required capital ships for three fleet-sized forces, each with a full battle squadron. That strategic demand explains why multiple classes could be built in parallel rather than one design replacing every predecessor immediately.