The Royal Family Responds To Rumours Surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s Retirement

A spokesperson for the royal family has formally denied speculation that Her Majesty will retire at 95

Amidst a flurry of rumours and intense speculation that she would be retiring at 95, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has confirmed that she will not be stepping down from her role as Head of State any time soon.

Though the British royal family rarely even address rumours that surround the inner-workings of the Palace, an official spokesperson for Prince Charles made an exception last week, formally denying the speculative reports regarding the Queen’s supposedly imminent retirement. 

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Her Majesty The Queen hosted a reception to welcome Heads of State and Government of @nato countries to Buckingham Palace this evening. NATO leaders are in London to attend the NATO Leaders’ Meeting 2019. The Queen was joined by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall as they greeted Heads of State and Government, and their spouses or partners, in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace before hosting a small reception in the Green Drawing Room. The Princess Royal, The Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also welcomed NATO leaders, members of the delegations and NATO staff in the Picture Gallery. See our previous post to find out more about NATO and watch some footage from the archives

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“There are no plans for any change in arrangements at the age of 95 – or any other age,” the spokesperson told People.

The claim that Prince Charles would assume the role of King first appeared in last year’s publication of Charles At Seventy, a renowned biography of the Prince of Wales, written by Robert Jobson. In the book, Jobson wrote that it would be likely that Queen Elizabeth may, at some point, “trigger a period of regency,” in which she will grant her son the “full power to reign,” whilst still retaining her official title as monarch.

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On the day The Queen visited The Royal Philatelic Society, we are sharing these archive photographs featuring members of The Royal Family. You can also take part on our quiz by clicking on our Instagram story. The photographs (1-4) taken by Dorothy Wilding, of Her Majesty in 1952, were used as the basis of The Queen’s image on postage stamps from 1953 until 1971. In two sittings, photographer Wilding took 59 images of The Queen. In 5, Arnold Machin’s effigy of The Queen, which has featured on UK stamps since 1967, is widely considered to be one of the most reproduced and iconic images in the world. It has been re-printed an estimated 220 billion times, in more than 130 different colours. In 6, the world’s first stamp, the Penny Black, featured an effigy of the head of Queen Victoria, as engraved by William Wyon (official chief engraver at the Royal Mint) to mark her coronation in 1838. Special stamps have been produced featuring The Queen, including for Her Majesty’s 80th Birthday in 2006 and The 60th Anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation in 2013. PA & Royal Collection Trust

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“One senior aide told me that the Queen has given the matter of her passing hears considerable thought and believes, that, if she is still alive at ninety-five she will consider passing the reign to Charles,” Jobson explains in the book. Many have also pointed out that Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Phillip, was also 95 when he announced his own retirement from official royal duties. 

However, despite the rumour, the royal family is adament that Queen Elizabeth has no plans to retire in the foreseeable future. And, considering that the Queen is still riding her horses at the ripe old age of 93, we have a fair bit of proof to believe that claim.