Queen Elizabeth vowed to rule as the monarch until her dying day. However, speculations are arising that she might have to hand the regency to her heir and eldest son, Prince Charles, due to the coronavirus.
According to reports, the coronavirus pandemic has become an obstacle for Queen Elizabeth to continue with her royal obligations. At her age of 94, the Queen is in the high-risk group against COVID-19, the disease that could develop due to coronavirus, which has no cure nor vaccine as of this time.
Thus, as a safety precaution, Queen Elizabeth has been isolating from the public at Windsor Castle, along with her husband Prince Philip. The Duke of Edinburgh is also of the high-risk group because he's almost 98 and he has a medical condition.
Because of this situation, the British public might not be able to see Queen Elizabeth come out of isolation until the end of 2020 or even 2021 because a cure or vaccine for coronavirus won't be available until then, according to medical experts. To ensure the health of the Queen and her husband, they have to remain in isolation until the pandemic is over.
Speculations have emerged that Queen Elizabeth could hand over her responsibility to Prince Charles if she won't be able to attend royal events. However, the Queen won't likely abdicate the throne and make Prince Charles the King of England. Instead, she will put Prince Charles in place as the Regent of the Crown, who shall only become the king when the monarch dies.
Queen Elizabeth has apparently been mulling this change since 2017 for a different reason. According to royal expert Robert Jobson, the monarch has been planning on retiring when she turns 95 in 2021, in the same way that Prince Philip retired from public life when he turned 96.
"I understand she has hinted that she would consider a Prince Charles Regency at 95," Jobson said.
Buckingham Palace has never commented on these speculations even before. However, since the pandemic, talks about Prince Charles' regency has been revived.
Under the regency act, the Queen will retain the crown and title but it's the Prince of Wales who will assume more of her public engagements, as well as the power to decide on matters behind the scenes. However, Prince Charles is also part of the high-risk group as he is in his 70s thus some royal experts believe that Prince William, who is in his 30s and thus less at risk for COVID-19, may also take on bigger responsibilities for the crown as the second in the line to the throne.
