Citing content of a new royal biography, Express reported that Queen Elizabeth will hand over the reins to Prince Charles sooner than many people expected.
In a 1947 speech when she was still a Princess, the Queen said that she intended to spend her entire life in the service of the country. The Queen reiterated this during her coronation in 1953.
A new book by Royal correspondent Robert Jobson, who toured with Prince Charles for a year, however, claims that the Queen could stand aside at age 95. This means that Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, could reign as regent in just three years.
Charles can only become king if his mother abdicates (gives up the throne), retires or passes away. If he becomes Prince Regent, this means that he will be able to rule monarchy sans formally becoming the King.
Regency Act 1937 has made it possible for a regent to step in should the monarch becomes incapacitated.
It also says that the condition only lasts until the monarch is able to resume duties, which means that Queen Elizabeth would have to make an exception for her son as Prince Regent.
Jobson said that the Queen is aware of her age and likely wants to ensure that when the time comes, the transition of the Crown would be seamless.
“I understand the Queen has given the matter considerable thought and believes that, if she is still alive at 95, she will seriously consider passing the reins to Charles,” Jobson has said.
Prince Charles, however, is considered less popular than his son William. There have already been calls for the role of King to be passed straight to his eldest son.
A 2017 poll by Prospect Magazine also showed that a fifth of the people would be less supportive of the monarchy if Prince Charles was King.
It is still uncertain if the Queen would indeed allow her son to become Prince Regent once she reaches 95-years-old.
Phil Dampier, who has been writing about The Royal Family for three decades, has said that the Queen will only consider a regency if she becomes seriously ill, according to a 2017 article from Royal Central .
“The only reason a regency would ever be contemplated if is she became seriously ill, either mentally or physically. But I don’t believe she would consider an artificial cut off time such as reaching 95. She will consider the situation as each year passes,” Dampier said.
