There are rumors that Queen Elizabeth II will be abdicating her throne when she reaches the age of 95. Although Clarence House already denied the claims, the talks remain strong until today. Will Her Majesty retire in 2021?
"There are no plans for any change in arrangements at the age of 95 - or any other age," a statement from the Clarence House read, via USA Today. Prince Andrew's resignation from the royal duty seems to give birth to the assumption that the Queen will retire 16 months from now.
The Duke of York announced that he would step back from his royal duties for the "foreseeable future" in the wake of the scandal over his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His interview on BBC Newsnight also resulted in a backlash after he failed to show sympathy and apologized to the disgraced financier's victims.
Prince Andrew revealed that he asked for his mother's permission to step down from his position as a royal family member, and she agreed. This led to different British tabloid headlines, like Queen Elizabeth "sacked" her son.
There were also claims that she consulted Prince Charles and Prince William about the matter, and they both decided to "push out" Prince Andrew from the monarchy. Prince Philip also allegedly said that his second son had to go to save the realm.
This controversy, which was described as the worst royal crisis in decades, once again ignited the talks about Queen Elizabeth's retirement. Die-hard Republicans and other publications even talked about the idea of getting rid of the monarchy altogether.
"Let's get off our knees and abolish the monarchy," Suzanne Moore said, via The Guardian. "Andrew wasn't just a bad apple: he comes from a royal orchard of them. It's time Britain matured as a republic."
Over the years, Queen Elizabeth already handed off a lot of royal duties to other royal family members. Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince William now take more significant roles in the monarchy.
Prince Charles now carries out the foreign travels on his mother's behalf. However, Her Royal Highness remains to handle the most critical royal duties, like the opening of the Parliament that she did this year with her heir to the throne.
Hence, although she is reducing her royal duties, it doesn't mean that she will retire. Queen Elizabeth will remain on her seat, by the looks of it, until she can.
