Queen Hands Reins Over To Charles

[icyfroth]

THE royal offices of the Queen and Prince Charles will merge in preparation for Charles becoming king.

The mother and son's separate press offices will merge to form one office providing communications for the royal family, the Mirror reports.

One of Prince Charles's senior courtiers is expected to run the new publicity team from a core office in Buckingham Palace.

Royal watchers believe the move to one office is a sign of the gradual shift towards Charles ascending the throne.

For the past 20 years, the Queen and Prince Charles - the longest-serving heir apparent in British history - have operated separate press offices.

The Queen's communication team worked from an office in Buckingham Palace while Charles's media team had an office in nearby Clarence House, his official London residence.

Although the Queen is still active, both sides agreed that plans should be made for a smooth transition, according to British media reports.

The Queen, who turns 88 in April and her husband Prince Philip, 92, are passing on more royal duties to younger royals, including Prince Charles.

The couple are on a "gradual downward trajectory" in the number of royal engagements they will carry out, Britain's Telegraph reports.

The younger generation - Prince Charles, his sons William and Harry and William's wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, will take on a heavier royal workload.

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At 88 she deserves to retire, I think!

[polksaladallie]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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icyfroth wrote:reports.

At 88 she deserves to retire, I think!

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By doing this, she is all but retiring, but she will not abdicate, if that is what you meant.

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No, I didn't mean abdicate. I know she can't do that. But at 88 she probably realises she can't go on for ever and will need to prepare the way for her successor.

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I heard on the radio a breakdown of the number of royal duties each person performed over 2012/3, and it was obvious that ER is shedding a lot.  Anne apparently is the hardest worker.

[polksaladallie]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

By that reasoning the next king should be Prince Edward as the only child of the present Queen who has not been divorced.

We have to move with the times....in the 1930s divorce was frowned upon....today it is acceptable.

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But Edward's marriage is a sham, so is he suitable? 

Wait a minute, there are skeletons in the cupboards of all royals, past and present.  It has always been a facade.

[cherry*135]

Busiest members of the British Royal Family in 2012: (no. of public engagements)

1. Prince Charles: 592
2. Princess Anne: 566
3. Prince Andrew: 436
4. Prince Edward: 431
5. Queen Elizabeth: 425
6. Duke of Gloucester: 337
7. Duke of Edinburgh: 325
8. Sophie, Countess of Wessex: 324
9. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: 276
10. Duke of Kent: 239
11. Duchess of Gloucester: 146
12. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: 111
13. Princess Alexandra; 110
14. Prince William: 88
15. Prince Harry: 61