14 DAY TRIAL // Reports from the British media today indicate that the days of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace are numbered. Staff of the royal Household have already begun discussing the possibility of Prince Charles to take over her responsibilities as Prince Regent if her health makes it impossible for her to perform her duties.
The Telegraph reports that courtiers have already dusted off the Regency Act and are taking all the necessary steps to make a quick transition as the Queen gets ready to step into the ninth decade of her life.
The Queen is reluctant to abdicate from the throne
While in several other monarchies around the world, aging monarchs have stepped down from the thrown and abdicated in favor of their children, Queen Elizabeth has expressed her view on the matter on several occasions, claiming that in her view, being a sovereign was a job for life and that she wasn't even thinking about abdicating.
Because of the fact that she is 88 years old, the Queen's work load has been slowly decreasing in recent years, with Prince Charles taking over some of her duties, including representing her in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka last year.
Regencies are not that common anymore, the last one was in 1811
A regency is not something very usual in modern times. The last time England had a regent was from 1811 to 1820, when King George III was left unable to carry out his royal duties due to his mental illness and his son, the future King George IV, had to step in for him.
In medieval times, regencies were much more commonplace, since high mortality rates often left royal children on the throne.
Information from the palace at this point is conflicting, with some sources claiming that a regency is being set up as a “just in case” scenario, while other sources are denying such efforts are taking place behind the closed doors of Buckingham Palace.
Recent polls have shown that British people are happy with the Queen's performance up to this point and have a desire to be ruled by Prince Charles. However, Charles' first born, Prince William, is enjoying far wider popularity than his father, as many Brits have confessed they would be much happier with William as the next in line to sit on the Throne.
Most of the bad press Charles is getting still has a lot to do with the divorce from Princess Diana and his subsequent relationship with Camilla Parker, who was never a favorite of the public.