This didn’t become a major headline in the week between Prince Philip’s passing and his funeral, but royal courtiers were already telling American and British media outlets that the Queen has absolutely zero plans to abdicate. Sources maintain that things will change following Philip’s death, like, the Queen will likely not do solo events anymore, but that Liz “will carry on. She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on… She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him.” So what does a widowed, 90-something Queen look like in the modern age? What happens next? Richard Kay had a lengthy piece in the Daily Mail about the Queen’s mourning period, what she’ll give away, and what amounts to a “soft Regency,” even more than what was happening before Philip’s passing. Some highlights:
Spending Philip’s last year together: But for the Covid pandemic which had brought them together in a protective bubble at Windsor, these precious moments might have been denied to them. Until last year, they had almost got used to not being together. One day, not long after Prince Philip’s retirement and when he was living alone at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, the Queen had remarked to one of her Windsor staff: ‘Do you know, I haven’t seen him for six weeks.’
There won’t be a lengthy period of mourning: As keenly as Philip’s death is felt, there will be no such lengthy period of public sorrowing for the Queen. Indeed there is every chance she will resume official engagements sooner rather than later.
Charles, William and Bridge Meetings: Much will depend on Prince Charles and Prince William who already have accumulated many of the Queen’s duties and will take on more. Charles, for example, is now keeping an eye on the running of the Duchy of Lancaster, the ancient estate of land, property and other assets from which the Queen’s private income derives. Both the Prince of Wales and his son have also been involved in the so-called ‘bridge meetings’ with senior palace staff who are overseeing this next chapter in the Queen’s life.
The Queen will rule from Windsor, not Buckingham Palace: One thing is certain: Windsor now will become the centre of royal life. Staff have been told that the castle will be the Queen’s permanent home (barring Christmas holidays at Sandringham and summers in Balmoral) and that while she will return to work at Buckingham Palace, it is unlikely she will ever spend another night there. If weekly audiences with the Prime Minister are permitted post-Covid to resume, this means Mr Johnson will have to travel from Downing Street to Windsor, while ambassadors and high commissioners may also have to present their official credentials there too. But to smooth diplomatic channels this is one function that with the greater authority conferred on Charles, he may take over and handle himself from Buckingham Palace.
Soft Regency: One thing the Queen won’t do is step down in favour of her son; there are no plans for a regency. But the virus which forced the Queen and Prince Philip to retreat from public life for long periods shielding at Windsor with a small staff known as HMS Bubble, has meant adjustments. Tellingly it was Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who carried out the first royal engagement this year, visiting a hospital named after his mother. Was this the beginning, perhaps of a soft regency in which the Queen does not technically stand down but Charles takes on ever more of her responsibilities?
Even her stationery is different now: Intriguingly, over the course of lockdown many of Her Majesty’s private papers have been brought from London to Windsor and this will now include personal possessions. For the next month at least the Queen will draw on a supply of black-edged writing paper for all her correspondence, in line with royal tradition, and just as she did after the death of the Queen Mother in 2002. She will wear black clothes and observe court mourning — but not for long. One idea among courtiers is of an exhibition to highlight the Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to the life of the nation.
She’s missing a gatekeeper now: But on a personal level, Philip’s death robs her of the man who was not just her husband, confidant and wise counsel but also her gatekeeper. ‘Who now will protect her when Prince Andrew comes asking for more money?’ says one of her long time aides. ‘When the Queen complained out loud of her children, ‘Why do they always bring their troubles to me?’ Philip always stepped in.’
I’m fascinated by the black-edged stationery, to be honest. Clearly a special order, but do they have the stationery in storage, just waiting for someone prominent to die? As for the gatekeeper stuff… it’s true, but it also began before Philip’s death and even before his retirement. Philip was the gatekeeper and family enforcer. When he began to tap out of that role, that’s when everything really began to fall apart in the House of Windsor, because when left to their own devices, the Queen, Charles and William always had the worst instincts. As for the “soft regency,” that’s also been happening for years now. Charles is going to end up taking over everything and he’ll still be called the Prince of Wales. I’m also interested in how the Queen is just going to stay in Windsor now and rarely leave. That’s… a big change, honestly.
Photos courtesy of the Windsors’ social media, Avalon Red.
“Why do they always bring their troubles to me?”
Why do children bring their problems to their mother? Gee Liz I don’t know why!
No wonder all these people are effed up.
Definitely not Mommy material..
haha I caught that too like Jesus lady, you’re their mother.
IKR, like how on earth did she survive pregnancy? Did she “bond” with any of them while they were in the womb? All four, like not a one? So if Anne is coming to you, it’s you babe.
Ohhhhh thank you for the laugh. I really needed that. Imagine to know your mother deals with issues on a GLOBAL scale but when it comes to your own, she can’t be bothered. I would think she would have welcomed the break. Plus, mothers deal with children differently. We are wired differently. I recall, when trying to get my son to sleep as a baby, the doctor told me to leave the house and let my husband deal with it. I looked perplexed, he replied: moms typically can’t go long hearing the children cry…………males are entirely different. TRUTH! Well, in my house it is anyway.
I’m snickering at the shade towards Andrew as well. But yeah…she’s not winning any Mother of the Year awards.
Her ‘children’ are pretty much all senior citizens now so they really shouldn’t be whining at her ankles anymore. I’d have had it up to my eyeballs if I were her too.
That’s why when ppl say that Harry should stay to spend time with her,I don’t understand…everybody knew that Philip was the one keeping the family in toe and that she was not maternal at all…this is a very very cold family…don’t be fooled by the pictures
I’ll always be curious as to why she is so distant a mother when she grew up in a very close family unit with her own parents. Was it losing her father when she was so young that closed her off? Or becoming Queen so young?
Well, both, right? She became queen so young because her father died – so she’s dealing with the enormous pressures of becoming queen, when she thought she had years to go, and dealing with the grief over losing her father – I wouldn’t be surprised if she never really processed that.
I think she is probably a more reserved person by nature too, so put it all together and you have this emotionally reserved distant mother who also has a job that she can’t just stop doing. And then factor in the absurd protocols that the royals follow at all times – it just seems like such a stunted environment.
But it is an interesting contrast with her own family like you said, who always seemed close-knit, even when they were dysfunctional. She depended on her mother but then couldn’t understand why her kids depended on her. Maybe Philip was too strong of a gatekeeper, IDK.
@Becks1 — can someone please explain the pressure of being queen? what does she really do that amount to the pressure a Biden would have?
What does she do all day long? from Biden you see actions, what do you see from her except spitefulness? visiting patronages for like 30min every day? is that what’s the pressure? she is technically not supposed to be involved in politics, correct?
so what does she do?
@vs – well I am not queen, LOL, so I cannot tell you what she does all day with any firsthand knowledge.
but she does meet weekly with the PM, receives diplomats/ambassadors from other countries, state dinners, all the other visits outside of the palace, etc.
Do I think its the same as being POTUS? No, of course not. And most of her “work” would be things that I imagine many of us would find very easy and not stressful. But I can see how, especially considering how young she was, being thrust into that role was overwhelming at first.
@VS – The Queen has to read boat loads of papers and reports for her meetings with the Prime Minister each week. She does not tell him what to do, but she advises him and she has to have a firm grasp of the issues. Too many Americans think all she does is show up for public events and that’s not at all true. She also has to run the estates the monarchy owns.
@Becks1 — thanks
@Kelly — so she is involved in politics? that a country allows someone, not because of skills, but because they were born out of the right uterus to advise an elected official is mindblowing to me.
Indeed, I am a US American, thank you gosh we kicked those people to the curb. What are her qualifications? the thing is even if incompetent, you can’t get rid of her. Incredible, really!!!
We, in the US, elected orange man….gosh I hated him but we can also kick him out of the office. He can only be there as long as he gets enough electoral votes; not because he came out of the right uterus at some point!
I guess you have to be born in such a country to admit that something like that is fine! anyway to each their own; now I have to go pay attention to the issues we have in the US…..
Her kids come to her for counsel about their marriage troubles and money worries and Betty be like, “Ok, and? What’s that got to do with me? Do you not see how busy I am?” Or do you think these corgis are gonna rub their own bellies?!!” LOL.
That was my first thought too. Good grief! The whole family is dysfunctional AF!
I was about to make a comment about this, too, so it’s good to see others thought it was very strange as well!
No wonder the Royal Family is so messed up, indeed!
I’m no fan, but have no shade for that attitude. Why are grown adults bringing her all their troubles. Put on your big panties and handle your sh_t like adults. Especially considering most of the troubles are probably self-made. I’d be pretty weary myself after a lifetime of that crap.
Because the buck stops with her.
She’s head of state and head of the Firm. She dictates what they can and can’t do. It’s not a normal family dynamic. Of course they ask her.
I would be over Andrew now too. Clearly, he doesn’t actually want to improve his behavior.
@Lanagen That one stuck out to me aswell. What a warm, motherly thing to say.
Maybe she has figured out that meetings can be done virtually and she won’t have to see the PM in person. This will probably amount to Charles doing more as far as overseeing two Duchys but I’m sure that there are people who do the day-to-day of that. Public appearances will probably be parceled out to others. Charles has done well with his Duchy, so I’m sure he can handle the other.
I have my personal opinions on charles but i do feel for him sometimes. He’s basically doing all the work of a king (and i think has been doing it for some time now). Yet he doesn’t actually get to call himself king until his mother passes. And if she’s like her mother that won’t be for another 5-10 years. Ive long said that charles would actually make a decent king. Its just that he doesn’t have the public on his side
I think Charles is fine with a soft regency like this, and not being called king. It might have been difficult at one point in his life, but the last 20 years or so, it’s not been important to him. He’s very settled as POW, and probably enjoys the freedoms it gives him, which he wouldn’t have as king.
And that’s why the monarchy will survive Charles’s rule, but not William’s. Charles is actually a pretty good manager. Say what you will about his personality or his character, it appears that he knows how to run things, and run them well. PwBT, on the other hand, is way too disengaged from work. I honestly believe that the Duchy of Lancaster AND the Wales properties are going to fall apart once he takes over. Boy doesn’t seem to have even have the ability or good sense to hire good administrators on his behalf.
How is Charles a good manager when he can’t even reign in his leaking courtiers, Bulliam and the Kensington court? He’s not even a good father. The Palace has dodgy HR practices too.
Charles spoiled William for years and even had to apologize for things William did. Charles not William apologized to a neighboring estate owner for WIll trespassing and speeding along in his car. Charles is not a good manager otherwise Harry and Meghan would not have left.
This family really needs a Letizia, Maxima or Victoria at this point. Someone who could bridge and bring in the old and new. Charles is a septuagenarian and the Keens appeal on to Whites. This will be interesting in the post-Brexit era.
They had her and exiled her through bullying and smear campaigns.
She now lives in Montecito, California.
1000% this. Meghan was willing to play along with the old. She wore the pantyhose and did what she was told, but it was never going to be enough for them.
Yup. They have made it very clear they don’t want any kind of real modernization.
She is in her 90’s and a loss like this can be really hard at that age.
It’s not uncommon for men and women to let themselves go, and sometimes even die, after losing their spouses/husbands.
So I can see why these big changes.
I think that’s the norm, but my dad is 99, lost his wife almost 8 yrs ago. He’s a couple months older that Prince Philip was. Still going strong. Beat Covid last January. Has friends older than him who are doing well. Who can figure? Still, QE2 looked pretty frail and tiny on Saturday. No doubt she’s able to take it easier these days, hopefully so.
It’s like Queen Victoria-lite. Victoria full on retreated from life after her husband died and sadly was still quite young. Liz still wants to carry on with her job but at a short distance (and might feel that that’s what’s going to keep her going).
Now we know why Kate was referred to as a possible “regent” in a recent article. She has no shame promoting herself.
Chucky will put an end to that.
I hope he does. Miss keen forgets there’s a whole camilla in front of her.
Cecelia, Ma Middleton forgets about Cams as well. Never, ever under estimate…..but I hope they do. I will be waiting with a bag of popcorn.
It comes from all of Diana’s nonsense about skipping over Charles. PWT and Wiglet have got it into their heads that they’re next in line, and no-one ever dares to tell them the truth lest yelling and tantrums ensue.
It was not Diana’s fault. I think she would have done more to protect Harry than Charles is doing. DIana would not know William if she came back and met him today. I think the QUeen caused damage to William with their “little meetings” over tea and his getting “advice” from her. WIlliam was getting above himself and CHarles did nothing to keep him in check. Diana’s been dead and gone over 20 years, this is all on CHarles for coddling and cosseting his spoiled son and throwing Harry to the wolves.
I find it telling that they are able to list how Charles is stepping up, but outside of “being in talks to prepare for the transition” Willileaks doesn’t seem to be doing much to prepare for the role of Prince of Wales. I really hope Charles keeps it from him and releases a statement like: “Once you start working like a man of your age, you can have the title.”
@ Lemons, yes. Baldimort hasn’t the ability to keep fish alive yet alone manage any of the properties of Duchy. Baldimort is a walking disaster and an ongoing temper tantrum man-child. He wants all of the glory and fame without doing the work. Baldimort hasn’t stepped up his game in the last 15 years, I don’t know why they expect him to now.
But if she were regent, wouldn’t it be for George and in that case, Charles and WIlliam would have passed on. Makes no sense.
Yeah, obviously the writer got a bit too excited with the thesaurus and thought that ‘looks like a regent’ was a good equivalent to ‘looks regal’. Or maybe they were sweating over the word count.
More style than ability to use the dictionary, at any rate.
But she doesn’t do !#%!
The soft regency has been happening for a long time, and it’s maybe best that it get taken up a notch.
My goodness that last quote about her children bringing their troubles to her, though. For someone so focused on duty and responsibility, Elizabeth never really owned her role in such a dysfunctional family. If she’d been willing to let her children truly grow up and make decisions without her permission and mistakes without her protection, she wouldn’t have had them constantly coming to her with their problems.
I found the comment about Andrew asking for money interesting as well…
Right??? The aide wasn’t complaining about the Sussexes, wasn’t complaining about the Cambridges…but Andrew asking for more money.
Charles finances Will and Kate so they would have to go to him.
Oh yes for money but I just meant in general. The aide was complaining about Andrew, not about “who is going to protect her from all of Harry’s zoom calls” or “from when William is whining that he wants to use Sandringham NOW” etc.
Hopefully as the “soft regent” Charles will put an end to that.
Charles will just let William do more damage IMO;.
Yeah, I found that pretty eyebrow raising, too. When Andrew comes looking for MORE money? I wonder if this is Charles’ way of telling his brother directly “I control the purse strings now, back off” or whether it’s more of a warning to his sons not to involve their granny in their squabbles.
The comment about Andrew reminded me of when my dad died. Suddenly, my nephew had an inordinate amount of interest in his grandma’s (my mom’s) finances, peering over her shoulder when she was opening bank statements, etc. My brother, who was helping my mom sort things out, told her, “You need to let me know if T___ ever asks you for money.” I think Charles will probably tell his mother the same.
Are they finally going to admit that a regency, even a soft one, has been in place for some time now?
Well we’ve definitely been seeing Charles take on more of her ceremonial duties over the past few years, so this seems like a natural progression. the part about not leaving Windsor is interesting though and that she will never sleep at BP again. Is the back and forth just too much for her? I wonder if she saw how Philip had a few quiet years at the end and she wants something similar for herself (or as similar as possible since she’s the monarch.)
If she goes to Balmoral, maybe? I can see her wanting to end there, but maybe not.
I don’t think it strange if she wants that. And tbh i think she should. She was how old when she became queen? 25 or so? That is incredibly young. She’s about to be 95 in a couple of days so i don’t blame her if she wants to pace it down before she passes.
Yup she was 25, next year is her 70th jubilee. I don’t think at this point anyone would blame her for wanting to spend her last few years in relative quiet, and Charles is more than capable of handling her duties, but it does mean that someone else may have to step it up a bit *cough* William *cough*.
I don’t believe any of this twaddle. There’s no ‘soft regency’. This is Charles playing PR again. The Queen could very well go on for another decade. Longevity is in her genetic makeup. She lets Charles out on a leash so far. And each time he crosses an invisible line, he’s jerked back with leaks like the one where they set the record straight about the supposed hours-long confab Charles put out that he had with Prince Philip about Andrew that only turned out to be a few minutes. She lets him have his causes. But every time he tries to insinuate that he’s the power behind the throne, some new piece of info comes to light that makes him look like the buffoon he is. Expect something this week that makes him look less than competent.
And here it is. That didn’t take long.
https://www.celebitchy.com/711232/dan_wootton_prince_charles_went_to_wales_24_hours_after_his_fathers_funeral/
She already did an event last week, by herself, so how true is this, anyway? These people have zero introspection or critical self analysis-so prepare for more stories about how horrible Harry and Meghan are for tapping out instead of helping “shoulder the responsibility” that will now fall to Charles, the Cambridges, and the Wessexes. This is a crisis of their own making.
Do you mean formally accepting the resignation of the Great Lord Chamberlain and formally appointing the new Great Lord Chamberlain to his position? I’m not entirely certain that’s one that can be passed on to someone else.
But that aside, totally agree with you. These people have been careening from disaster to disaster for the last fifty or sixty years running, at LEAST. They know they are in an incredibly and increasingly precarious position, they’ve known this since QUEEN VICTORIA’S DAY, why in GOD’S name are they still running around as though they can do whatever they like and just cover it all up and it’ll be fine because nobody will talk when pretty much every scandal they have had, EVER, has been because somebody did something they weren’t supposed to and the institution covered it up and SOMEBODY TALKED!
The queen hasn’t been in charge of things for some time now and we could all notice….
My big takeaway is that the marriage was probably one of affection at the end, but not this grand love story they’re trying to sell. I honestly can’t imagine not only being away from my husband for 6 weeks, but suddenly realizing it had been that long since I’d even been in the same room as him.
Ikr? Six weeks without seeing your own husband and not even realizing it? Telling. He really was very happily retired with his Penny. Phil and Betty obviously weren’t thinking about each other until they were forced under one roof due to covid.
“Who now will protect her when Prince Andrew comes asking for more money?”
Hmmm. This tell me she can’t say no to him. And he broke af.
Once the queen passes andrew will be completely dependent on the mercy of his brother. Something tells me that won’t be in his favor.
So will Edward. Edward and Andrew have expensive royal leases. If Charles phases them out and cuts them off financially, will they be able to afford them? I guess, Liz may leave them some money to help out. Anne at least owns her own property.
Hopefully as the “soft regent” Charles will put an end to that.
I don’t have any hopes for Charles. He treated Harry horribly and let William run amok and oust Harry and Meghan. CHarles won’t do a thing IMO.
I have an elderly widowed mother … and I wonder if TQ feels some of the same things as my mother. She really feels her mortality and is tired. She often tells me she no longer cares if she lives, that she feels done with it all. Looking at TQ at the service – kind of leaning forward, hunched inwards, I just had that feeling that she is tired. This grief I am certain will be very, very hard on her. Even if they had been living apart, she knew he was there. My mother also misses having someone who can talk to her about ‘the old days’ – that kind of life, long companionship. TQ has shared her entire life and experiences with Philip and now lost that. I have a feeling she will go down hill from now.
As the child of a 99 yr old who’s been saying “these damn pills are keeping me alive” for a couple years now, I wonder how much medication QE2 has to take, and what her health is really like. I told my dad I won’t blame you if you stop taking all the pills. He has a LOT of good support from various people, that’s what keeps him going.
It seems like QE2 has a lot of good support as well. That generation didn’t have all the additives and processed food growing up, and pollution, so I think that’s why they’re living longer. I think most boomers aren’t going to have the same experience. I think QE2 will live a while longer because of her genes, her medical care, her support system and the fact that she’s been living apart from the Duke for quite awhile now. Who knows though.
It seems her health has really gone down in the last year. After the Andrew interview debacle, she was seen riding one of her horses. The way she hobbled out of the car yesterday, I can’t see her going riding again.
The health of a very elderly person can decline VERY rapidly. My father just turned 85 and after a recent fall his decline has been really rapid for the last 2 weeks alone. It is scary and I’m constantly worried.
ArtHistorian, I hope your father pulls though okay. I have elderly parents too and I know exactly what you are saying about rapid decline.
A lot of it is genetics. My dad is 93 and has even survived Covid this year. (Awesome docs at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara—my guess for where Baby Montecito will be born) He does have excellent care and an attentive family but as for nutrition as a child????? My dad spent his childhood in concentration camps during the Holocaust. He is a Survivor and a survivor. It’s genetics pure and simple
Wow @Sparky. I have the highest respect for your father. I am a history nut and the cruelty of Hitler and the human will to survive that living hell, so much respect and awe for your father.
I think Charles expects William to finally step up and do the work that duty requires from a POW. I think they’ve at last come to the realization that Harry really isn’t coming back, and the Cambridges have to do their part without the charismatic assist from Harry. This makes Kate a liability, as is evident over the last decade and before.
Interesting days ahead.
I can’t stand the woman but I actually think kate is their last saving grace. She’s one of the public favorite royals and besides, meghan and harry, creates the most buzz.
Kate lacks a work ethic. It makes her a liability.
@merricst it doesn’t really matter. The RR can spin anything and they can just pretend that she’s super busy bts. That being said, if they go that route they need to ensure that all her projects become big successes. And if it is anything like those 5 big questions that doesn’t bode well. So u may be right
Yeah, if she hasn’t done in the ten years, I don’t think it’s going to happen now. Spin isn’t substance, and even the best web-makers get caught in their own sticky strings.
Kate is all sizzle (barely) and no steak, and has benefitted greatly from the Meghan attacks in the press. Remember the sort of press she and her husband were getting before Meghan and Harry began dating? It wasn’t good. If things reach a point where the BM just doesn’t have enough material for their 24-7 Sussex new cycle and they have to turn their sights back onto Kate and William, it won’t be smooth sailing.
Kate’s “popularity” with some is based on their dislike of Meghan. It starts up saying how perfect Kate is followed closely by a slam at Meghan. It’s a regular pattern now. Kate is not the hope of the monarchy. Heaven help the monarchy if they can’t do better than workshy Kate who is all show.
That’s what I got hung up on (that and her annoyance at her kids bringing their troubles to her; wtf?!). No one seriously expects William and Kate to do anything; they’ve done f all so far. I half think that’s why all the plans for the slimmed down monarchy involved Harry – he works and he does it well. He was supposed to be the foil to lazy Prince William, but they let William chase him and his wife out of the country.
I agree, interesting days ahead.
I just can’t take the double talk. She will not step down but now wonders how to carry on without Philip. I get it, its a HUGE change. But GIVE ME A BREAK. I feel for her loss but she can’t have her cake and eat it too.
Philip retreated from public life and he wasn’t in charge of the family side of things too. Was he in such a bad shape that he couldn’t put a stop into William’s shenanigans ? It could have been so much different.
William’s shenanigans have been ongoing for nearly 20 years. He didn’t put a stop to it at any point.
I read somewhere upon the Sovereign’s death the deceased Sovereign’s estate passes to the new Sovereign tax free. I suspect that a formal Regency or abdication comes with a hefty tax bill. I hope that if the Queen hasn’t been in charge for a while, that the courtiers have done everything to the letter of the law. If birth certificates can be altered without consent, other things can be changed.
Yes, it passes sovereign to sovereign tax free, an abdication would affect that I think* but I am not sure that a regency would, because she’s still the sovereign.
*I was just googling about it and I think this law passed in the early 90s, so I’m not sure what was in place and what the rules were when Edward abdicated.
If I remember documentary right EIi father had to purchase Balmoral from Edward. They paid Edward a lot to go away. And it cost George V dearly in money
Nota explained this the other day. Say a monarch abdicates. On his/her death, the wealth would be taxed, and that death tax would be 40 percent.
I don’t think she’ll live longer than six months. Not after having been widowed at 95; not after a 73 year marriage. Expect wall to wall media wailing and black edged screens for WEEKS when she dies.
Oh god I’m not looking forward to the media coverage at all. She’s got such a “grandmother to the nation” reputation and people really really don’t like it when she’s insulted (even republicans) so yeah, it’s gonna be non-stop for a good month.
She’ll either live for 6 months or 6 years. I feel like there’s no in between.
I totally agree, Molly.
Six years +
Naa, she’ll hang in there for a few more years.
If this was a tv soap opera (instead of a live one), she’d be out riding in the Windsor park with a handsome man she’d hidden for years, and planned a new wedding next year.
You would think this family has enough to be getting on with and wouldn’t have time to constantly brief against the Sussex’s. They should just focus on their own shit and leave them alone.
Thats exactly why they brief against the sussexes. To deflect from all the shit their dealing with bts.
Honestly I think an informal regency has already been put in place with Charles and the courtiers running things. It explains why the Sussexes were lovely towards her (although Harry has always been close to her) because they know there’s a difference between when the queen does something and when “the queen” does something.
Exactly. So when Harry and Meghan put out statements in response to the Queen’s, they were not responded to the actual Queen but the institution.
As far as funeral protocol, the youtube channel “Ask a Mortician” had a really cool video in preparation for the funeral of Prince Phillip. The Queen has prepared for her death extensively.
“Charles, for example, is now keeping an eye on the running of the Duchy of Lancaster, the ancient estate of land, property and other assets from which the Queen’s private income derives.”
Keeping an “eye on” what amount to a small portion of her £500m private fortune (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/07/20/queens-annual-income-from-duchy-of-lancaster-rises-to-above-23-million/) and William is named in the preceding sentence and sorry, but there IS oversight here, right? These under-educated tax-dodgers are still NOT still ripping off the UK taxpayers who need every last £ and can’t catch a break, are they?
After the Panama Papers reveal in 2017 (£10m Duchy of Lancaster funds invested in offshore tax haven) and the recent story that the Queen personally lobbied BoJo to prevent her wealth from being scrutinized (can’t keep up), there are checks and balances, right? RIGHT???
One way Charles could heal the damage his son and his wife caused the Monarchy by airing their dirty laundry on CBS prime time? Give Richard Kay the exclusive story on how Charles’ personal private fortune and his mother’s personal private fortune are all paid up in taxes- all Even-Steven, back to whatever time-point the Panama Papers revealed the tax-dodging started.
Kinda like how H&M paid back the £ to the Sovereign Grant for renovation to a house they don’t even own. Clean slate.
The Queen is too old now and Charles has been regent for years. I wish the Palace would just come out and say that.
In my experiences with the elderly-elderly (90+) I’ve noticed that they tend to get rid of circles of groups, friends, family, etc.
It takes a lot of energy to have a cup of tea at that point. While The Queen may indeed have fine friendships with her Ladies in Waiting, she has to have let go of many issues—such as matching her clothes, talking to people of little interest to her, expending energy in matters that are not essential for her own health and peace. She may believe in duty, but she’s in a mortal body which does not have that same Duty about all mentality.
She may atavistically trust only Andy; she may suspect all kinds of things that are not precisely true. She’s probably judgmental of people who are not “old-school.” I think that somebody like Lady Sarah Chatto is really old-school (not her sons, however!) and the Queen can relax with her. The Mozz might happen to say one thing that amuses her and will suddenly be elevated above all others or maybe that certain shine will emanate from Mike Tindall. Nothing is likely to come of this, but it might reflect itself in some odd alliances if/when quarantine is no longer in place.
And her ankles look good for her age, but they are starting to show the edema.
I think it will be an ever softer unspoken “regency”. And pray that she does not end up like King Lear! There’s something so Shakespearean, yet something so mundane, about that family.
I don’t think CHarles was regent. It would have to be announced. The Queen is protecting Andrew and Harry is scapegoated. If CHarles is regent I am very unimpressed.
The way I see the comment about her dealing with her children’s problems is that THEY ARE FREAKING ADULTS! Her children are grandparents FFS! if I ran to my mother for every problem I have she would’ve told me she cut the cord a long time ago and I’m old enough to know how to get my sh*t together lol. IDK I guess royals always hang to their mommy’s skirt
I’m glad I’m not the only one who read it that way.
I see your point, but let’s not kid ourselves, she was never the mothering type to her children, it’s the aristocratic way. Nannies do it all parents come in to say goodnight when they have time.
I saw an interesting article recently that said Charles’ reign might be a ‘soft regency’ with William as the face of the monarchy.
It would explain a lot if William has been a part of those talks.
https://www.politico.eu/article/british-monarchy-succession-problem-prince-charles/
They should take their troubles to a counselor, one that gives them therapy on absentee moms. Geez. She is a cold one.
I guess when the Duke retired a few years ago, he really meant it! Not just with royal stuff, but with family and all their BS too. He wanted a few years of peace and I don’t blame him.
ONE day after the funeral and the ambitions of others are made obvious. The Soft regency rumors have been going on for years. I hope William has a long wait.
Is not the queen one of, if not THE richest women in the world?
The Queen has protected Andrew his entire life, she knows how Charles and William feel about him. She will leave a trust fund to allow him to continue to live a modestly royal life independently of the ruling Monarch.
If the soft Regency has not been in place, there would be no reason for Will to be as influential as he has been imo. The problem remains with his lack of maturity, lack of work and his sense of entitlement.
The foolish rivalry between the courtiers and the firm and the leaks will be a bigger problem when the Queen passes away. Charles will have to watch his back because of the entitled behavior of Will and Kate…
I never understand the narrative Philip kept the family in line… wasn’t he right there for the annus horribilis? As she called it.
(sorry wrong place, this was for Sue’s q above re why the queen is like this)
two other things — she drinks a lot, I saw a doc on how she spends her days (or did, this was about 20 years ago), and they centered around alcohol, all…day…long…fancy drinks but still alcohol; and also, the bizarre precision of everything, down to measuring chair distance to tables, on and on, struck me as possibly OCD, or maybe a little on the spectrum? I’ve wondered if this helps explain the bizarre parenting too…
My mother died when she was 80, and I, at 40, was the youngest of five. Until the day she died, she ALWAYS made time for us, was ALWAYS the first to encourage us, and NEVER made us feel like we were a burden. She was born with that great mom gene – it’s not automatic in every mom, though. QEII always struck me as weirdly cold and detached from her kids – she seems like a much warmer, sweeter grandmother.