To think The Queen should retire?

[ThinWomansBrain]

I am not a monarchist - but given that we have a Royal Family....
Given her age, understandably failing health, and the recent widowhood, is it be reasonable to think the Queen should step down and retire gracefully?
OK, maybe stay in post until the Jubillee next year, but then hand over.

It's her choice.

@UndertheCedartree

I completely agree. She is 95 years old and has served for almost 70 years! She should be able to retire. Having said that I don't think she would step down. She sees being the Queen as her duty until the day she dies. But I think it's sad. She should have some rest and let the younger members have more work to do.

Does she see that it’s her duty? Or does she just want to do it? My XMIL wouldn’t stop pottering around in the family firm (pun intended) until she died aged 90. She simply wanted to. There’s always so much talk of the Queen’s sense of duty from people that don’t know her - and I think most of their “knowledge” about her comes from The Crown 🤣 I don’t doubt that she does have a sense of duty, and a strong work ethic. But what keeps her working now is choice. And fair play to her for it.

It's horrible reading about people speculating on her death. They would announce it if or when our Queen dies

She's of such a good old age and is allowed to be ill or in pain sometimes. Leave her be, she won't abdicate she'll let her family take on more of the duties if her health sometimes prevents her. We're all ill sometimes and need to rest up. She's been such a trouper and lost her husband recently.
I'm sure she'll be back again soon, doing the ceremonies and duties that she can.

She is an absolutely amazing woman and we won’t ever see the like of her again.

“Recent widowhood”? Are we saying women should retire when their husband’s die?

No, not at all, but she is 95 FFS - and it's a role where I imagine there aren't an awful lot of people, besides a spouse, where you can put your feet up at the end of the day and say "I'm knackered, that was a really shit day"

I once worked for a Royal Charity - were updating the risk register, and the shock and devastation amongst the rest of SMT, let alone the Trustees, when I suggested a key risk might be what would happen to the charity if XXX died

@3luckystars

She is an absolutely amazing woman and we won’t ever see the like of her again.

I agree

If I were her, I’d do my Xmas speech holding up a page of that day’s Times, with a vivarium in plain site behind me. I’d start, “Seriously, dudes?”

Bloody hell, there's some horrible posts on this thread

and a pope resigned/retired a few years ago, which was a first I think.

I feel very sad for her. She's had a tough year, losing Philip and with everything going on with Andrew and Harry.

She will die as the Monarch. And I think the RF will change forever on the day she does.

@ThinWomansBrain you know they were often in different houses, right?

When I’ve had a shit day, I can tell my husband - sure. I can also text my mates. Lots of people don’t have a spouse. The idea that you can’t do your job if you don’t have a spouse to moan to is a bit silly. Plenty of us manage it just fine.

@TerraNovaTwo

I don't think she has very long left to live.

Her mother lived until she was 101. Do we have any reason to suppose the Queen’s overall health is any worse than her mother’s was?

It's up to her really. It's frowned upon to tell someone they should be retiring due to their age these days. I think it might even be illegal?

The queen believes her duty/position is god given and will never retire.

Some pretty tasteless comments on here

On her 21st birthday, she broadcast a speech from the royal family's tour of South Africa
"But through the inventions of science ....I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. I should like to make that dedication now. It is very simple.
I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong." Apart from the fact that it's now the Commonwealth, not the Empire, I think she will stick to that.

She believes she's fulfilling her role ordained by God and utterly believes in her coronation vows.The rest of her family live in luxury and need to step up to the ate now to help her.

@counsellortroi the only thing I can imagine is that she has had a far heavier workload and higher amount of stress than her mother ever did.

@ThinWomansBrain

The precedent - for totally different reasons - would be the abdication by her uncle in 1936?

@monkeysox 🤣🤣🤣

She's apparently very anti abdication as a direct result of that event.

I guess the other side of the coin is that her frailty prevents her fulfilling the role - hosting a prestigous event like COP26 that the head of state doesn't attend.

Would be odd if it had been in the US and the president not attended (although pre Biden, people might have breathed a sigh of relief at Trump's absence)

She is fulfilling the role of being The Queen

The Queen mother had a far more leisurely life after Elizabeth took over the reigns. The Queen's schedule is far too demanding for a woman in her 90s

@CallMeNutribullet

The Queen mother had a far more leisurely life after Elizabeth took over the reigns. The Queen's schedule is far too demanding for a woman in her 90s

It seems like they've come to a flexible working arrangement and she's allowed to zoom things if she wants.

I imagine the Queen decides what she does tbh

She won't abdicate. It's about getting the other senior royals to take on more, which is happening already.

Exactly. Would you like someone you don't even know deciding when you should retire OP? I'm sure if the Queen really wanted to "retire" then she would - but it is nothing to do with you.