Published 19 May 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
It’s a hard fact to face up to, but one day the Queen will pass away and leave the United Kingdom awaiting a new ruler. However, in her platinum jubilee year — a milestone very few monarchs have ever reached — she announced who she would like to replace her. And it may come as a huge surprise.
Changing times
Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images
It’s no wonder the Queen is thinking about the future. She’s now in her nineties, after all, and she has been reducing her workload accordingly over the past few years. And, of course, the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, has changed things as well. These days, it’s her son and heir, Prince Charles, who’s often by her side at important royal events.
Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images
According to Peter Hunt, a one-time royal reporter for the BBC, the Queen plans to “fade away gracefully.” In 2021 he told The New York Times, “Covid has helped in the sense that it has accelerated what any sensible 95-year-old woman would want to do, which is not stand on your feet all day long.”
Jack Hill – WPA Pool / Getty Images
And the Queen’s nothing if not a sensible woman. Apparently, even plans for the platinum jubilee celebrations were carefully constructed so that she doesn’t have to be too active. Instead, it’s going to be William, Kate, Charles, and Camilla who’ll do most of the heavy lifting.
“I remember Princess Anne saying at the time of [the] diamond jubilee that the family had to rally to make sure the Queen and Prince Philip did not get overtired,” royal historian Hugo Vickers told The Guardian in January 2022. “So I think [the Queen] is going to do about ten notable things that will be high profile.”
The heir
Kirsty O’Connor – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Chances are that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Charles in the future. The British tabloid The Sun has claimed that he actually talked to his father about taking on more and more royal commitments. Essentially, at the moment, Charles is serving as Philip’s replacement among the royals. You may assume he’ll be the Queen’s replacement, too, when the time comes.
