The Queen: Would She Consider Abdication or Retirement?

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

Are you saying if the Duke of Windsor had been through his coronation he would have been stuck/the country would have been stuck with him?

Not at all. If he insisted on leaving, there would be nothing that could be done. ANd other anointed monarchs have abdicated....

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Durham

But you can't unanoint them (if there is such a word). They can't be unhallowed. Or deconsecrated. Or can they? To me it seems that once done it can't be undone. There can only be one anointed monarch living at any one time.

I agree about the longevity issue. That's what I meant about the logical arguements in favour of abdication. What you say makes perfect sense.

Where does it sasy that you can't be an anointed former monarch?

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

Are you saying if the Duke of Windsor had been through his coronation he would have been stuck/the country would have been stuck with him?

An interesting question but no I'm not.

He would still have gone of course. The fact that he had been crowned & anointed would have made no difference. It would have made a shocking event even more disturbing.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Denville

Where does it sasy that you can't be an anointed former monarch?

By that token where does it say that we can have two or more? It's a solemn religious occasion after all. Is it not implicit that such an individual should be unique till they die?

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

Are you saying if the Duke of Windsor had been through his coronation he would have been stuck/the country would have been stuck with him?

Not at all. The difference between the Duke of Windsor and the Queen when it comes to the coronation oath is that David probably would have been take the oath and mentally just giving lip service to the words. With the Queen, she took the oath because she really believed in what she was saying.

That is the difference between the two people. The monarch that now sits on the throne actually believes and lives by the words she says. That's a rare quality in a world leader these days.

[Prinsara]

Originally Posted by Durham

By that token where does it say that we can have two or more? It's a solemn religious occasion after all. Is it not implicit that such an individual should be unique till they die?

If Edward VIII had made it to his coronation that's exactly what would have occurred — former and current anointed monarchs. As it stood, it was so difficult (and he was so difficult) that he was forced abroad permanently.

More than 80 years later things are different, but I think the Queen believes that watching anyone else do her work/sacred duty while she still can is probably anathema.

[Betsypaige]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

I would agree, one of the reasons they didnt want the Windsors back was because you couldn't have 2 kings.

Not really the same thing. Edward would have been acting like a second king because that was his personality - he was deeply jealous of his brother, and he wanted to wield influence. That’s why he kept bugging Bertie until finally he’d had enough.

If a future monarch were to willingly abdicate (not like Edward, who did so because he saw he had no choice), I don’t believe there would be an issue of having 2 kings. There would just be the one - the former king would be in retirement.

That said, I don’t think this will be an issue because I don’t see any future monarchs abdicating.

[muriel]

Originally Posted by Denville

the queen hasn't done foreign travel for a long time now. I can't remember her going anywhere in recent years except the reconciliatory visit to Ireland in I think it was 2011 or so. Foreign tours have gone to Charles and William and Harry, in the past decade.

If I am not mistaken, the last foreign trip undertaken by the Queen was in 2015, which was the state visit to Germany.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

If Edward VIII had made it to his coronation that's exactly what would have occurred — former and current anointed monarchs. .

Yes indeed & that would have been a unique (abdicating freely) & difficult circumstance. I doubt many would have been happy with such an outcome. Least of all religious Anglicans & the clergy.

If the proposal going forward is for monarchs to abdicate once they reach a certain age or whatever then it would not make religious sense to anoint them. There's no requirement for that to happen. It's just tradition after all.

[Blog Real]

I think the Queen will never abdicate but she can leave her son, Prince Charles, as regent.
I think the Queen will have fewer official commitments in the future.

[gagates]

I think she stays queen but will install a regency. I can't think, that sge still has the same stamina after Philipp is now dead

[Hans-Rickard]

I don’t think The Queen wants to abdicate as long as she feels she still has the energy... Working can also be a way to cope with your grief and i’m sure the Royal duties was a big comfort for both Queen Margrethe and Queen Beatrix when their husbands died....It gave them a purpose in life. A meaning to continue.

But ofcourse they wasn’t 95. By that age it can be a huge difference between Friday and Monday...

Though i do expect that we will see Prince Charles replacing her at even more occassions.

[Alisa]

I don't think the Duke’s death changes anything. If anything we might see her more than we usually do.

[Iluvbertie]

There has been a rumour for some time that she has thought about establishing a regency when she turns 95 - which I never believed but she may decide that would be a good idea as she continues to age. I don't a specific event would see that happen but more a realisation that she can't do the job the way she would like to do it.

[Sandy345]

I don't think she will step down or have a regency.

[Curryong]

I can’t see anything happening in that direction until after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations (sadly now without Prince Philip’s presence.) After that she may continue on the path of Charles taking over more of her active duties.

However, I don’t believe there will be a formal regency short of physical and/or mental incapacity, and I do think the Queen will try to carry on (and that includes some engagements) until the very end.

[BriarRose]

I do not think the Queen would ever abdicate. Ever. I don't think the word is in her vocabulary.

I've had my doubts about a regency. Personally, if she were my mother or grandmother, I would want her to have a happy retirement. Obviously, if there was a physical or mental impediment to her work, a regency would occur. But I still think she intends to do her duty unless she physically cannot.

[PrincessofEurope]

The Queen will never abdicate and the only reason I see her using Charles as Regent were to be if her health declined so much she could not carry out the functions of head of state.

She has always insisted that she has dedicated her whole life to the service and duty of the UK and commonwealth and this won't change now Philip has died

[MARG]

Actually the Queen and Prince Philip had a sort of plan and by the time she turned 90 she had already firmly placed all overseas trips in Charles hands, and once Philip "retired" she was leaving more and more to him.

Charles I 'think' gets government boxes so she has someone to share the load. Charles traveled around the country and HM stayed closer to home. The advent of Covid 19 has forced her to 'physically' slow down and interestingly enough, she seems to keep up with her engagements via Zoom and is in better health for it. The only unknown is how she will function without Philip to share her life.

Regardless of any reasons we can think of for her to create a Regency it actually isn't possible. A Regency is created when the monarch is either too I'll to function or when they become unable to function due to dementia or Alzheimer's. As to the notion of her abdicating? Impossible! She took an oath for "all her life" and she meant it. She will never break faith with God, let alone her subjects.

[Blog Real]

The Queen is almost 95 years old, I think that at this point an abdication for all reasons no longer makes sense.
The Queen never contemplated this possibility and will fulfill what she swore at the time of the coronation.
I believe that the Prince of Wales, Prince William, Camilla and Catherine should increase the number of official acts from now on.