Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in the world, is likely to retire next year and abdicate the throne in favour of Prince Charles, multiple UK media outlets have reported. The reports, which cite unnamed royal insiders, said the queen might finally step down around her 95th birthday, which falls in April.
"Her Majesty is mindful of her age and wants to make sure when the time comes, the transition of the Crown is 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 reign to Charles," Express UK reported, citing a former senior member of the royal household told the outlet.
Another British tabloid, The Sun, also endorsed the rumour. There is renewed talk about the Queen's imminent abdication, the daily reported. "Planning for Charles to become king has been going on for some time... A transition is plainly already underway," the report said.
Can the Queen retire?
The British monarch cannot retire without formally abdicating the throne. If the Queen wishes to step away from royal duties owing to advanced age and health concerns, she will have to abdicate the throne. Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the queen took the British crown in 1952 when her father King George VI died. Her formal coronation was in June 1953.
Will Prince Charles become the king?
There have been questions if Prince Charles, 71, would ever succeed his mother to the British throne. Such speculations gained momentum when Charles was going through a slump in his personal life over the separation from Princess Diana and the latter's tragic death. It was reported that a vast majority of Britons wanted his son Prince William to succeed the queen.
However, over the years such speculation has been widely discredited. The UK media reports that the latest example of Prince Charles stamping his authority in the royal household was the way in which he handled the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew. It was widely reported that Charles took the decisive move to remove Andre from royal duties.
"The scandal surrounding Andrew and Epstein gave Charles an opportunity to step in to show that he can run The Firm," The Sun said, citing a source.
Accidental Queen
Though Queen Elizabeth spent a record number of years on the British throne, her becoming the queen was rather accidental. To begin with, when King George V reigned, she was third in line to the throne, behind her uncle Prince Edward and her father.
When King George V died, Edward took the throne as King Edward VI but abdicated the throne to marry divorced socialite Wallis Simpson. This catapulted her father King George VI to the throne. If Edward had remained king and had children of his own, Elizabeth would never have become the queen.
Never-ending retirement rumours
The Queen's retirement has been a hot topic ever since the monarch turned 90. However, even as she is approaching 95, the queen is still in the throne, making royalty watchers wonder when she would retire. The queen is apparently in good health though her husband Prince Philip relinquished royal duties after he turned 95.
Another potential reason why the queen has not retired is her rumoured distrust of Prince Charles. The heir apparent had gone through tumultuous times during the 90s when his marriage with Princess Diana hit the rocks.
The last time when retirement talk got serious attention was in 2017 when the queen spoke of "the blessings of home and family" in a Christmas speech. that speech came in the same year when Prince Philip retired from royal duties. "Reflecting on these events makes me grateful for the blessings of home and family, and in particular, for 70 years of marriage," the queen had said.
