Elizabeth II will turn 95 on Wednesday without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the great backing of her nearly 70 years as head of the British state, but with a family crisis that has left the monarchy shaking the last stretch of its government.
It will be a sad day for the queen after the death, last day 9 at the age of 99, of Prince Felipe, the consort who knew how to meet the demands of the state since his wife ascended the throne on February 6, 1952. . .
Due to the pandemic, the Queen is staying at Windsor Castle (Palace and Fortress), on the outskirts of London, where the Duke’s solemn funeral took place last Saturday.
THE QUEEN AT THE END OF HER GOVERNMENT
With the death of Prince Philip, her confidante and adviser, Elizabeth II continues only the final years of her reign, one of the most important and longest in the history of the United Kingdom.
Respected and admired by her subjects, almost to the point of devotion, the Queen is in the transitional period of the monarchy, which began a few years ago when she stopped traveling abroad and saw her official obligations due to her advanced age. were reduced.
Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and the Duke of Cambridge, second in line of succession, have taken a step forward by representing the sovereign on official visits abroad or in some of her functions in British territory.
According to experts, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and the withdrawal of the Duke of Sussex (son of Prince Charles and Diana of Wales) from the monarchy may hasten the transition, although Elizabeth II promised not to finish before taking the throne. Never act.
The prestigious constitutional expert Robert Hazell, of University College London, told EFE Tuesday that “The Queen has devoted her entire life to public service and has made it clear that she has no intention of resigning. She is incredibly hardworking, but it is it may be that it (its activity) will gradually decrease “.
This will enable Prince Charles and other members of the royal family to “take on other public obligations, while (Elizabeth II) performs the functions only the monarch can perform,” Hazell said, referring to, for example, the opening of Parliament. .
In the event that the Queen cannot take up her duties “because she is physically or mentally ill, then Prince Charles may be the Regent under the Regency Act of 1937,” he added.
THE FAMILY CRISIS OVER PRINCE HENRY’S RETIREMENT
The withdrawal of the Dukes of Sussex, Enrique and Meghan from the monarchy more than a year ago and the controversial interview the couple gave to American presenter Oprah Winfrey last March have sparked a new crisis in the royal family.
In that interview, recorded in the home where they live in Los Angeles, the dukes came to accuse the monarchy of racism and not to have responded to the help Meghan Markle said she had asked the family when she felt near suicidal impulses.
Frictions between 36-year-old Prince Henry and his father were evident at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, as no dialogue was observed between them at the end of the service.
Although Princes Guillermo and Enrique spoke on the day of the funeral, the media assures that the Duke of Sussex will return to the United States this week without resolving problems with his family.
The conservative newspaper “The Daily Telegraph” claims today that Prince Henry met his father, brother and the Duchess of Cambridge on Saturday after the funeral at Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor house where he lived before moving to the United States. .UU.
According to the press, the four spoke for two hours, but without any positive progress, after Prince Charles refused to allow his youngest son to use a television interview to publicize the family’s problems.