The Queen is in hospital

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You could be right about the ego, Maddyoneas my OH lamented his loss of status above all else when he retired.

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I'm not a monarchist.

I know we don't have a written constitution but I think the Queen can't just retire, she would have to abdicate which I think she would never do. Charles would never command the respect that his mother has, particularly if she is still alive!

He has no right to have a go at being the monarch - it's just an accident of birth. It's unfortunate for him that he was born to a young mother who unexpectedly became queen in her 20s.

And what if a few years down the line it becomes apparent that he's not up to the job, will people start to lobby for William to have a go?

The whole thing will just fall apart - so monarchist be careful of what you wish for!

She has more or less retired anyway, she attends what she believes is most important and Charles does most of the work.

So Callistemon, she's not up to the job and her son has to do most of it, you say.

But we're the ageist ones for suggesting that she might be given the opportunity to stop working all together?

Being Queen is not a normal job. Normal retirement just doesn't come into it. There is no comparable job in the land. She's not staying Queen for the sake of her ego. Frankly ridiculous suggestion.

Aveline, you may think it’s ridiculous, but others may disagree. It’s quite rude to suggest other’s opinions are ridiculous.

I can’t help thinking that however much speculation there is on Gransnet she has no intention of retiring, that much is pretty clear. However old and physically frail she is, if you listen to her speak it’s clear that her mind is still sharp and she is perfectly capable of making her own decisions without our input.

Call it what you like. Retirement, abdication, whatever. Other countries can accommodate it but we think it couldn't possibly work for us, because we're different.

Well newsflash - we're not.

I agree Casdon, DH and I were just discussing today how she seems still to be completely compis mentis, although physically she seems to have become very frail in the last couple of years.

I don't expect anybody is expecting her or her courtiers to take any notice of what we say on an internet forum, but we can express the opinion that we think it is kinder and more realistic not to expect a 95-year-old woman to turn up in a nice hat and have polite conversations with random people who the government of the day think she can schmooze on their behalf.

Everyone has an ego, and it is ridiculous to think otherwise.

So Callistemon, she's not up to the job and her son has to do most of it, you say

I didn't say that at all and you know it.

But we're the ageist ones for suggesting that she might be given the opportunity to stop working all together?

Never heard of semi-retirement Alegrias?
Never come across part-time work?

Yes, you are.

No, I was paraphrasing.

She has more or less retired anyway, she attends what she believes is most important and Charles does most of the work.

So she can't take on the whole workload, Charles has to do most of it, but we are still expected to treat her as though she is the one who is doing all the work, even though she's not physically up to the job any more. Allegedly.

If I was in a situation where I was doing most of the work I'd expect the job title to go with it.

Callistemon

^But we're the ageist ones for suggesting that she might be given the opportunity to stop working all together?^

Never heard of semi-retirement Alegrias?
Never come across part-time work?

Yes, you are.

Can we call her Queen Emeritus then? That's what they call the former Emperor of Japan. (Well Emperor Emeritus. It would be odd to call him Queen Emeritus)

I love the Royal Family and in particular our great monarch she is a fabulous woman ,so dedicated to her country.She has had a lot to up with the past year and must be exhausted, she needs to rest, we want her for a few years to come.Get well soon your Majesty.

We have no way of knowing if Charles really relishes the thought of being King.

I get the impression he’s a creature of habit and he could well be perfectly happy with how things are at the moment, with him undertaking some royal duties but with his mother still ultimately in charge.
He’s an elderly man himself, almost certainly stuck in his ways and loves having the time to indulge his hobbies

For instance, his love of gardening is well known and the thought of having less time in the future for that might not be particularly appealing.

You could well be right, JenniferEccles

And those who want to see Charles succeed his mother so that she can put her feet up are in fact suggesting that another pensioner takes on the duties of H of S.

I'm sure he takes much of her burden himself but leaves her to choose what she feels is her duty to attend

??

It could be worse, we could have a presidential system with an election every 4 years - not another one!!

You've got to admire The Sun newspaper.
They always crack the news story first. How they do, I don't know but they do.

My mum is 94 next month. She still lives in her own home, with no carers or anyone to help, apart from getting her groceries delivered and the bin men come and collect her wheelie bin. She’s still as sharp as a razor blade, too! I’m sure she could job-share with the Queen, if the Queen wanted a few days off each month.

My concern is that I’d miss the queen’s bright, cheery outfits. Charles’s dull suits will be very boring, although maybe when he’s king he could take some sartorial advice from Michael Portillo’s tailor.

The Queen will NEVER abdicate - she saw how it damaged her father George, when his older brother Edward abdicated and he had to step in - it would be like Andrew inheriting instead of Charles (!) through abdication. She considers it her life's work and Charles will inherit when she dies - although I'd prefer he didn't, I actually like Camilla but cannot stand Charles. William and Catherine are the heirs to the throne that the public will embrace - Charles will be just a placeholder King at his age. Some really nasty ageist comments on here - this is Gransnet you know! The Netherlands monarchy is not and never will be a comparison to the UK. Our constitutional monarchy is unique in the world and should be celebrated - before Charles totally messes it up.

Talk about shoot him down without even seeing what he can do saetana
I think the queen looks great for her age and I m sure she’s still as sharp mentally as anyone could be but come on folks would you have a 95 year old surgeon, bus driver, librarian office manager… of course not I think she has even caused Charles to lose the opportunity (perhaps he doesn’t really want it, but if he does he’s also getting to be pretty elderly himself)
I like the idea that he wants to pare the royal family down to a small few there are far too many of them being paid massive money to do little I would imagine Charles will probably hand it to William before many years
William seems pretty bland and everyone likes the pretty Kate so guess that would be a good move for most Royal family lovers

overthehill

You've got to admire The Sun newspaper.
They always crack the news story first. How they do, I don't know but they do.

Well they used to do it by hacking phones!

Now probably a paid informer who's in the know.

I don’t admire the Sun for breaking the news about the Queen. As with so much that’s been ‘released’ in recent weeks, sometimes it’s better for the general public not to know quite as much.

I’m sure if and when there is any real news about the Queen, we would be told.

Someone is breaking confidences, and getting paid for doing so. I hope they are found out and get fired.

Ladbrokes used to run books on what colour outfits HM would wear to Ascot and the like, I doubt whether there will be as much interest in Charles’ ties.