Elizabeth II turns 95 on Wednesday without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the great supporter of Britain’s nearly 70 years as head of state, but with a family crisis that makes the monarchy take its last step. his reign.
It will be a sad day for the queen after the death, the last day 9 at the age of 99, of Prince Felipe, his consort who has known how to accommodate the requirements of the state since his wife ascended the throne on February 6, 1952.
Due to the pandemic, the queen remains in the castle (palace and fortress) in Windsor, on the outskirts of London, where the solemn funeral of the duke took place last Saturday.
THE QUEEN AT THE END OF THE KINGDOM
With the death of Prince Philip, her confidant and adviser, Elizabeth II continues alone the last years of her reign, one of the most important and longest in the history of the United Kingdom.
Respected and admired by her subjects, almost to the point of devotion, the queen is in the transition period of the monarchy, which began a few years ago when she stopped traveling abroad and saw her official commitments reduced due to old age.
Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and the Duke of Cambridge, the second in line of succession, took a step forward by representing the sovereign on official visits abroad or in some of his functions in Britain.
According to experts, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and the withdrawal of the Duke of Sussex (son of Prince Charles and Diana of Wales) from the monarchy may accelerate the transition, although Elizabeth II promised never to abdicate before taking the throne.
Prestigious constitutional expert Robert Hazell, from University College London, told EFE on Tuesday that “the queen has dedicated her entire life to public service and has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating. She is incredibly hardworking, but she may be to decrease (its activity) gradually “.
This will allow Prince Charles and other members of the royal family to make “other public commitments, while (Elizabeth II) performs functions that only the monarch can perform,” Hazell said, referring to for example, at the opening of Parliament.
If the queen cannot assume her duties “because she is physically or mentally ill, then Prince Charles can be regent under the Regency Act of 1937,” he added.
FAMILY CRISIS FOR PRINCE HENRY’S RETREAT
The withdrawal of the Dukes of Sussex, Enrique and Meghan, from the monarchy more than a year ago and the controversial interview that the couple gave to the American presenter Oprah Winfrey, in March last year, provoked a new crisis in the royal family.
In that interview, recorded in the house where I live in Los Angeles, the dukes came to accuse the monarchy of racism and that they did not respond to the help that Meghan Markle said she asked her family when she felt almost suicidal impulses.
The friction between Prince Henry, 36, and his father was clearly visible at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, as no dialogue was observed between them at the end of the service.
Although Princes Guillermo and Enrique spoke on the day of the funeral, media say the Duke of Sussex will return to the United States this week without resolving issues with his family.
The conservative daily “The Daily Telegraph” claims today that Prince Henry met his father, brother and duchess of Cambridge on Saturday after his funeral at Frogmore Cottage, the house in Windsor where he lived before moving to the United States.
According to the press, the four spoke for two hours, but without positive progress, after Prince Charles did not accept that his youngest son used a television interview to broadcast the family’s problems.