Queen WON’T step aside for Prince Charles to take the throne, Buckingham Palace insiders say amid rumours monarch may sensationally quit
The Queen will not step down for Prince Charles to take the throne despite her advancing years and the recent retirement of her husband from Royal duties.
Rumours regarding Elizabeth II’s future have circulated since the Duke of Edinburgh, 96, withdrew from public life earlier this month as well as succession decisions made by other European kingdoms.
The ageing monarchs of Spain and the Netherlands have both handed their crowns to their children in recent years so they may handle the rigours and responsibilities of being head of state.
Buckingham Palace insiders quashed the rumours today by saying she was steadfastly committed to fulfilling her duties as British sovereign and referred to the oath she took on her 21st birthday, reported .
Then heir to the throne, she pledged: “I declare … that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”
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Her Majesty, now 91, is the world’s longest reigning monarch and ascended to the throne at the age of 26 following the death of her father King George VI in 1952.
Sources close to her said she insisted that it is “duty first, nation first, I’m going to be there”.
Should she decide to step down from her role The Queen may invoke the Regency Act 1937 where the monarch can cede power to their heir “in the event of incapacity of the sovereign through illness”.
It can also be used “for the performance of certain royal functions in the name and on behalf of the sovereign in certain other events”.
Any move using the act must be agreed to by three of the sovereign’s consort – the lord chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the master of the rolls.
Currently The Queen devolves some of her duties to her relatives including foreign tours and investitures – where subjects are honoured with awards such as knighthoods and OBEs.
However, she remains in good health and determined to carry out the key responsibilities as head of state.
Last year she suffered a heavy cold for a few weeks but continued to attend to her red boxes of government papers to fulfil her role of running the country.
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