Duke of Edinburgh to Retire from Public Engagements in August: May 4, 2017


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Skippyboo said:
There isn't a precedent for a 90 something monarch but there is a precedence for an unwell monarch. It's called a regency. The mechanism of it is already in place. If the Queen can't do the job anymore then Charles will be the regent. It's that simple.
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Exactly!

But everyone I speak to thinks the Queen is doing very well for a 91 year old woman. And as I said in post 71: She has knee problems, but she is healthy, she rides her horses and looks amazing.

She has already chaled down her duties (especially after 2012): She no longer goes on walkabouts, no longer uses open cars, she does not travel around the UK like she used to, and she no longer travels abroad.

But the Queen has a completely different role than Philip and as long as she is cleare in her head and is capable of meeting the PM and do some things inside/outside the palace, then there wont be need for a regency. Her mother did engagements at the age of 101.
 
A regency is a legal matter. The Queen isn't anywhere near it.

According to section 2 of the Regency Act 1937, the people who can make a declaration of incapacity (or a declaration that the incapacity has ended) are the consort of the Sovereign, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice of England and the Master of the Rolls.

As of 2016 these positions were held by, respectively, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Liz Truss, John Bercow, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and Sir Terrence Etherton.

Any declaration of incapacity or of cessation of incapacity needs to be signed by three or more of them. Declarations based on the monarch's unavailability for a definite cause need to be supported by evidence, and declarations attesting the Sovereign's incapacity by reason of infirmity of mind or body need to be supported by evidence including evidence provided by physicians.

A declaration of incapacity or of cessation of incapacity needs to be made to the Privy Council and communicated to the governments of the Dominions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_Acts#Regency_Act_1953
 
Blog Real said:
Will William, Kate, and Harry now have more official duties?
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Yes, it's already been announced that the Cambridge's will be transitioning to mainly royal duties this fall. William's job with the Air Ambulance ends this summer. Harry will also be taking on more as well. I believe Prince Philip will be handing down more patronages, military appointments and other organizations he support. Although he will still associate with those organizations.
 
Blog Real said:
Will William, Kate, and Harry now have more official duties?
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Here's hoping! Channel 5 said that the queen will be accompanied by other family members in the future (they listed the Cambridge's, Harry, Charles, Camilla and Sophie when mentioning this but I imagine everyone will get involved.)
 
Dman said:
Yes, it's already been announced that the Cambridge's will be transitioning to mainly royal duties this fall. William's job with the Air Ambulance ends this summer. Harry will also be taking on more as well. I believe Prince Philip will be handing down more patronages, military appointments and other organizations he support. Although he will still associate with those organizations.
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There really isn't a pressing need to do anything with Philip's 780 patronages right now. There is no point doing anything until the accession of King Charles. Then the various patronages of Philip, Elizabeth, Charles and Camilla can be redistributed to the appropriate people.
 
Winnie said:
I don't believe intelligent people will ever say anything if Queen cuts down on her events. She is already the hardest working Queen/King and even when she does cut back a bit, she will still outdo many that sits in other countries. She will never abdicate [like Queen Victoria before her] and what her uncle did really hasn't affected her decision. She is true to herself. JMO
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Queen Victoria didn't live past the age of 81. QEII on the other hand is already 91, which is an unprecedented circumstance for any British monarch.

I do not doubt that the Queen might still go on for many years "meeting with the PM and working in the palace" as Royal Norway said, while scaling back other engagements. However, that seems to be totally unreasonable to me, especially considering that there is an easy and convenient alternative which does not involve abdication, namely a regency for Prince Charles.


PS: Please feel free to move this post to the Abdication/ Retirement forum.
 
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Skippyboo said:
There really isn't a pressing need to do anything with Philip's 780 patronages right now. There is no point doing anything until the accession of King Charles. Then the various patronages of Philip, Elizabeth, Charles and Camilla can be redistributed to the appropriate people.
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Well, I'm sure he will pass more stuff down to the younger royals. I'm not talking about all of his patronages though.
 
Some of Philips large national charities that have enjoyed generations of royal patronage may be passed down but as the statement says, he is still going to be involved with his causes.

I agree with Skippyboo. We have no idea what Charles has in mind for the future. If we are to believe the stories, it will be a scaled down monarchy with a 'quality or quantity' approach.

No point to take on patronages now that will be jettisoned in the next reign.
 
Read more: Our Queen's happy and glorious reign is due in no small part to the Duke of Edinburgh, her 'Everest of rocks'
t tells you something about a man when he decides to give up the day job at the age of 95. By the time Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh hangs up that spiffy Admiral of the Fleet hat in the autumn he will have passed the official state retirement date by a stonking 31 years.

Indeed, he is likely to be one of the few men who served in The Second World War and is still in public service. It is one of his gifts that he has never made us dwell on the fact that he is old. The role of the Grandfather of the Nation is to be taken utterly for granted, and that’s the way he likes it. In a wonderfully cantankerous interview for the BBC on his 90th birthday, Philip was invited to take pride in his achievements. Good grief! It was as if he had been asked to strip off. His peregrine-falcon face contorting with disbelief, he objected, “No, that’s asking too much.”

On typically irreverent form the Duke of Edinburgh made the crowd at an Order of Merit service roar with laughter when he made a joke at his own expense, telling one guest who said he was sorry he was standing down: ‘Well I can can’t stand up for much longer’.
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Rudolph said:
It wasn't an 'emergency meeting', that's just tabloid hype. A meeting of palace staff was called by The Lord Chamberlain to give them a heads up before the press. A lot of staff have been there for years. It was a nice courtesy.

This will have been in the works for weeks if not months. No coincidence The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced last month a full-time move to London with William devoting himself to royal engagements.
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This! I'm pretty sure the meeting was planned and the media simply found out and turned it into a big hype. By early morning today alot of twitter and media were basically saying someone senior was dead so the Palace had to announce what the meeting was for. I'm not sure they wanted it announced today, i know people say the Queen met the PM yesterday but I am not sure that means anything about this announcement. I suspect it may have been intended to be announced much later (after the election especially) and cerainly with less fuss.
Shows the power of social media and less trustworthy media sources
 
Folks, the handing down of patronages is a gradual process. Some more will be handed down in the coming months and years ahead, and some will be handed down in the next reign. This process has already begun.
 
Dman said:
Yes, it's already been announced that the Cambridge's will be transitioning to mainly royal duties this fall. William's job with the Air Ambulance ends this summer. Harry will also be taking on more as well. I believe Prince Philip will be handing down more patronages, military appointments and other organizations he support. Although he will still associate with those organizations.
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Which considering the timing of Phillip retiring in August and William ending his EAAA contract makes me think that these plans have been in the works for some time now.
 
I think that at 95 everybody is entitled to rest and live a quiet life
 
 
 
Has any information emerged on when and how the notification to staff happened? And which staff? We are speculating - but I'd like an idea of how many and what kind of people were called in, when and whence?

While clearly not relating to an emergency, the fact that they called an in person meeting gives it weight and makes it a special case, even for BIG news. These are people who announce the birth of the 3rd in line on a piece of paper near the door (and Twitter). ;)

One simple question I'd love to have answered (not that the BRF owes me anything) is how often have these all-hands staff meetings occurred?
 
Nico said:
WOW
Well it's ONLY a retirement, he's not dead yet !
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I know! I almost teared up when I saw the front pages.

AdmirerUS said:
Has any information emerged on when and how the notification to staff happened? And which staff? We are speculating - but I'd like an idea of how many and what kind of people were called in, when and whence?

While clearly not relating to an emergency, the fact that they called an in person meeting gives it weight and makes it a special case, even for BIG news. These are people who announce the birth of the 3rd in line on a piece of paper near the door (and Twitter). ;)

One simple question I'd love to have answered (not that the BRF owes me anything) is how often have these all-hands staff meetings occurred?
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There are many articles about it. Some information from the Times, but not much: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/duke-steps-down-from-royal-duties-08cpbff0v
Staff at Buckingham Palace were summoned to the meeting to hear the Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel and the Queen’s private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt reveal plans for Prince Philip’s retirement. They were joined by staff from Windsor Castle.

The timing of the announcement was because the royal diary for the autumn is being drawn up now, and Philip wanted to make it clear that he would not be available for subsequent engagements.
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More from the Times:
It is understood that Philip had been thinking about the decision for the past few months. Last year was a busy one for royal engagements, with the Queen celebrating her 90th birthday, and Philip felt that once that was out of the way he could start thinking about retirement.

The Queen will carry on with her programme of engagements — sometimes appearing by herself, sometimes accompanied by other members of the royal family. The official statement said: “Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.”

A source added: “The Queen is perfectly comfortable with solo engagements.”

However it is understood that it will become more common for other royals to appear on engagements with her.
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Of course she is. She used to do solo engagements all the times. And as an commentator said earlier today: The Queen loves what she does.
 
Rudolph said:
Prince Philip was back on royal duties today. In great form. He will continue on until this fall. It wasn't a last minute decision. The House of Windsor doesn't operate that way. Charles and William at the least will have been given notice.

Like I said, The Cambridges coming back to London full-time with William devoting himself to royal life isn't a coincidence in my opinion.
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Well they have to come back for George's schooling. I think it was something he might have been thinking about and just agreed on the spot. Then it was let's get this going
 
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/duke-retires-rather-than-grow-frail-in-public-fk3x595kc

He had spent several months considering his future as he increasingly felt the strain of his official duties, it is understood. He broke the news of his planned retirement to the Queen over the Easter weekend at Windsor Castle and she immediately gave him her full support.

The duke came to the decision after a busy run of engagements last year, which included the Queen’s 90th birthday. The landmark royal event this year is their 70th wedding anniversary in November.

Over recent months Prince Philip has been feeling the relentless pace of engagements — he carried out 336 last year, and more than 22,000 since 1952 — and while he remains in good health The Times understands that he can find himself lacking energy.
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More about the notification to the staff:
The news was broken to the royal household by the Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, and the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, yesterday morning. Several hundred of the 500 staff that the Queen employs gathered in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace to hear Sir Christopher, 55, tell them how, after the duke stepped down, other members of the royal family would support the Queen by carrying out engagements with her and on her behalf.
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Guys, I know some think the frenzy over this whole thing is funny and silly. We can't make fun of it though. With The Queen at 91 and Prince Philip approaching his 96th Birthday, everyone is on edge.

We know with big meetings like this and household staff from all over being called at once to gather, we can't easily dismiss these things in the future.

I know no one wants to talk about it, but we're approaching some important times and big news like this have to be taken serious.
 
The issue here is that someone made it into a big deal - i.e. the DM by 'breaking' the news at something like 3.00 a.m.

It is clear that the meeting wasn't called at that time but that is when the DM heard about it and made it into a big 'news' story.

The reality is that these meetings take place occasionally without any fanfare simply because there isn't anything to have a fanfare about.

By the way - is this really the reason for the meeting or are we assuming that because of the announcement.

We know that the PMs etc of the other realms had to be told (and the Deputy PM - currently acting PM - of Australia made it clear, long before the 8.00 a.m. suggested time of the meeting - that is 'was nothing serious')

This supposed meeting also took place at 10.00 a.m. and lasted how long? The announcement was on the BRF website within a few minutes of 10.00 a.m. If that was what the meeting was about it seems overkill to gather all those people together for a meeting of a few minutes.

Was this also a matter of a meeting that lead to a frenzy and so they made an announcement which may or may not have been planned to be made to set everyone's minds at rest while the real meeting on whatever issue went ahead anyway?
 
AdmirerUS;1982057 One simple question I'd love to have answered (not that the BRF owes [U said:
me[/U] anything) is how often have these all-hands staff meetings occurred?
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I am quite sure that some research would give you that answer. Just a matter of knowing where to look or ask. Try and do it on the internet or contact the Times if it is important to you. They usually have people to help.
 
Madame Verseau said:
The question now is how is DoE's charity work going to be divided? There has been so much press about Will & Kate's approach to royal engagements and Andrew's desire to have Beatrice and Eugenie to become working royals, could that be a factor in splitting up work in the Firm?
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My thoughts exactly. The Queen's children and daughters in law are working at full capacity (Sophie has lower numbers due to having young children), and William, Kate and Harry seem to be reluctant to take on full time royal duties, which only leaves Beatrice and Eugenie. While I think it would be better for them to have private lives, at least they are showing more willing and enthusiasm than their royal cousins.

Another option could be for Prince and Princess Michael to take on full time royal duties instead.
 
royal-blue said:
My thoughts exactly. The Queen's children and daughters in law are working at full capacity (Sophie has lower numbers due to having young children), and William, Kate and Harry seem to be reluctant to take on full time royal duties, which only leaves Beatrice and Eugenie. While I think it would be better for them to have private lives, at least they are showing more willing and enthusiasm than their royal cousins.

Another option could be for Prince and Princess Michael to take on full time royal duties instead.
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royal-blue, the Cambridge's are becoming full time royals in the fall. The official announcement has already been made on that. The younger royals are now taking on more duties that's being handed down to them. Prince Philip and The Queen has handed down some patronages down to their children, grandchildren and granddaughter-in-law. More is likely to come.
 
Prince Philip should continue to wear Naval, Army, Air Force uniforms in some special events, should he?
 
Relieved to come home from work to good news :flowers:

Most men his age would have been retired for thirty years. Philip certainly has earned his retirement. He will still appear at the odd event by the sounds of it and some of his work.

It makes sense. Elizabeth needs her husband as support. But at his age that support comes in new forms. Supporting her emotionally and behind the scenes, and not as a working royal. By retiring, Nd taking stress off of him, he will hopefully be around a few more years. I am sure the queen would much rather her husband home and there to keep her company, then losing him sooner because the stress put on his health. I am sure his grandkids and great grandkids will appreciate any more years they get.

Philip has a ton of patronages that are one offs, or that already have more than one royal patron. And some odd foreign ones. There is no real need for any of these to be filled. I do think his major ones will be filled.

I do hope they pick the royal who best suits and not just boosting numbers for the Cambridges. Would be nice to see the yorks get a few. Harry would be a great match for the WWF. Philip has a few golf ones Andrew could take. There are a few design and health ones the yorks actually seem suited for.

I do think some of his Scottish based ones will end up with Edward or Sophie. We saw that with at least one from the queen.
 
The Queen would do well by letting Andrew accompany her places. Andrew is after all, her favorite son.
 
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