EXHAUSTED QUEEN TO STEP DOWN?

The Queen is facing one of the toughest decisions of her long reign as she contemplates whether it’s finally time to hand her crown on to Prince Charles.

- Duncan Larcombe

It has always been assumed that Her Majesty will stay true to the pledge she made before her coronation in 1953 – that she would rule until the day she dies.

But with the Platinum Jubilee fast approaching, murmurings are multiplying within palace walls that the royals may finally have started to think the unthinkable.

The argument for the Queen to gracefully stand down seems to be growing stronger all the time.

Recent ill health has left visible signs that she is struggling to cope with the ongoing demands of work.

Now that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be over, the monarch remains in a form of suspended lockdown – indeed she is more likely to be spotted on Zoom these days than out pressing the flesh with her subjects. But even though she can perform many of her duties via modern technology, few courtiers believe she wants to become history’s first ‘virtual monarch’.

In the months since she was forced to spend her first night in hospital for eight years, the workload vacuum has largely been filled by Charles and William.