At the age of 94, Queen Elizabeth II is proving to the world that she is indeed unstoppable, which implies that Prince Charles has some serious waiting to do before becoming king.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit England, out of an abundance of precaution, the Queen and her husband,Prince Philip, 99, left their comfort at Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty relocated to Windsor Castle, and it was assumed that she would remain there until a vaccine for the coronavirus was found, but that is not the case.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the Queen has decided that she will cut her summer break at Balmoral by two weeks and will travel to her Norfolk home, with the Duke of Edinburgh.
In her statement, the Queen explained that once her vacation is over, she plans to head “back to the office” in Buckingham Palace in October.
The Queen will be taking part in work engagements and will have audiences for the first time since early March.
Buckingham Palace made the following statement, via a spokesman, who said: “The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will depart Balmoral Castle during the week commencing September 14 to spend time privately on the Sandringham Estate.”
The statement went on to explain the Queen, who is in the high-risk category, will take serious measures to minimize her potential exposure to the coronavirus.
The statement continued: “Subject to the finalization of the autumn program, Her Majesty’s intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements. These plans will be kept under review and will, of course, be subject to all relevant guidance and advice.”
While the Queen was away, she heavily relied on Prince Charles and Prince William along with Kate Middleton to do the heavy lifting.
The ongoing pandemic had many royal experts talking about a possible abdication from the Queen so Prince Charles could become king. This announcement throws cold water on that possibility.
Dr. Anne Whitelock, a royal historian, explained in the documentary The Queen: Duty before Family? why The Queen will not turn the throne to Prince Charles: “There is much speculation that the Queen might one day have to abdicate. I think there is no chance of the Queen abdicating. As she said at 21, whether her life short of long, she remains committed to serving her people.”
She went on to say: “The Queen would be very sensitive to the very personal costs that these crises’ have caused. She simply has a sense of duty and need to ultimately trump personal difficulty and personal emotion.”
Some experts have suggested that the Queen will not change much in her routine in the foreseeable future, and she just wanted to assert her authority with this announcement.
