With the apparent weight of Queen Elizabeth II, 96 years old, the British monarchy has entered a turning point in recent months with more responsibilities being said to Crown Prince Charles, but no formal resignation is required.
It has been speculated for years that the queen may now resign in favor of her 73-year-old son, just as other European monarchs, such as Spain, Belgium or the Netherlands, presented the crown directly to Prince William. Popular.
But what is happening, says journalist Robert Jobson, is an “unofficial constitutional change” in which the Queen is the head of state, but Prince Charles assumes the most important public duties,
In recent months, there have been a number of events representing Prince Charles, such as the Commonwealth Day in November and the UN (COP26) Climate Summit sponsored by the United Nations. And territories that were part of the British colonial empire in the past), the Easter Mass in March or April, or the official opening of the British Parliament this month.
“It’s not a regency, but the heir is in charge.
When the king was deemed mentally ill, as he had been in George III in 1811, his son, the future King George IV, assumed the role of Prince Regent until the death of his father in 1820.
On the contrary, the Queen’s clear, expressing in February the “real desire” to call her daughter-in-law Camila “Queen” to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Wife “When her son is crowned king.
The title issue of Camila Parker Bowles, who had an extramarital affair with Carlos in her second marriage in 2005, has always been a subtle one, due to public affection for the crown prince’s first wife, Princess Diana. .
However, it was also the opening ceremony of the parliament, also known as the Queen’s Speech, which presented the government’s legislative plan, which was seen by experts as a major event.
The next day all the front pages of the newspapers showed Charles the Royal standing near the Imperial Crown, with his wife Camila and son William in the second row in a row.
The event is symbolic of the constitutional role of the head of state, and the ceremony includes a full range of luxuries and secular traditions that underscore the strength of British political institutions, the strength of the monarchy in this regard.
“When the Queen sees her eldest son’s government intentions on television, she must have realized that the kingdom is in good hands,” photo journalist Arthur Edwards wrote in The Sun, for which he has been with the royal family since 1977. .
At the same time, the reporter teased that “the prince had the longest internship of any job”.
On her 21st birthday, Princess Isabel promised to dedicate her “long or short” life to the country, so that only death would trigger an heir.
So if Prince Charles reaches the long life of the Queen Mother who died at the age of 101, Elizabeth II will still have to wait.
However, historian Ed Owens believes that as the Elizabethan era approaches, “slow motion apostasy” is taking place, he wrote in The Guardian.
In the coming months, and finally in the years to come, “Prince Charles will be seen more and less, and the Queen less and less, a reign will come to an end and a new reign will begin,” the historian stressed.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”