Accession : One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall

The Coming Fall of the House of Windsor

Queen ‘to abdicate and make Charles king in all but name’ in secret Palace plan for monarch’s retirement

THE QUEEN is reportedly set to abdicate and make Charles king in all but name in a secret Palace plan for her retirement, it has been claimed.

Her Majesty is said to have told her inner circle that if she is still on the throne at the age of 95, she will ask for a piece of legislation to grant her eldest son full power to reign while she is alive.

The Queen is reportedly set to be preparing plans to make Prince Charles king while she is still alive, it’s claimed

Queen Elizabeth has reportedly told her inner circle that if she is still on the throne at 95 she will ask for the Regency Act to come into force

Royal commentator Robert Jobson told the Mail On Sunday he has spoken to a number of high-ranking courtiers who say preparations for the transition of the Crown are gaining pace.

He claims Palace communications staff have been ordered to be “up to speed” on the 1937 Regency Act – the bill which grants power to the heir apparent.

Mr Jobson said one senior former member of the Royal Household told him: “Out of the profound respect the Queen holds for the institution of monarchy and its stewardship, Her Majesty would want to make sure that she has done everything she can for her country and her people before she hands over.

“Her Majesty is mindful of her age and wants to make sure when the time comes, the transition of the Crown is seamless.

“I understand the Queen has given the matter considerable thought and believes that, if she is still alive at 95, she will seriously consider passing the reign to Charles.”

However Clarence House, the official residence of the Prince of Wales, has made no comment about so-called Plan Regency.

Legislation would allow her son, the Prince of Wales, to take the throne while she is still alive

Her husband Prince Philip recently retired from public duties at the age of 96

And it’s decision that wouldn’t be taken lightly – a Regent can only be implemented once a decision is reached by three of the following: the Sovereign’s consort, the Duke of Edinburgh; the Lord Chancellor, David Lidington; the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow; the Lord Chief Justice, the incoming Sir Ian Burnett and Master of the Rolls, Sir Terence Etherton.

Queen Elizabeth, at 91, is the oldest and longest-serving monarch following her Coronation in 1953.

Last month, her husband Prince Philip officially retired from public duties at the age of 96.

Prince Charles has gradually been filling in for his mother and represented the head of state on foreign trips during her Diamond Jubilee year to Australia and New Zealand.