National Post (National Edition)
Royal transition on display on Remembrance Day
Prince Charles lays wreath on her behalf
In more than 60 years, Queen Elizabeth had refrained from the ceremonial Remembrance Day duty of laying a wreath at the cenotaph in London on only six occasions: four because she was on a state visit abroad, and twice because she was pregnant.
But on Saturday morning, for the first time since her coronation in 1953 the Queen watched from the balcony of the Foreign Office while another member of the Royal Family took part in the ceremony.
It was one of the clearest gestures yet symbolizing the transition of power from the Queen to her son, Prince Charles, who laid the wreath in her stead though she was clearly well enough to attend the ceremony.
“This is part of a long, ongoing effort to have Charles take on more and more roles and — even in her presence — to be seen as the physical manifestation of the monarchy in these settings,” said Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and an expert on the Crown.
Now 91 years old, the Queen has for decades maintained a relentless schedule. Since 1984 she has conducted more than 15,000 official events, according to one study. She rarely misses scheduled appearances absent a health problem, and while she has been gradually reducing her travel and ceremonial commitments overseas, it was striking to see her forgo a domestic engagement for reasons other than illness.
Earlier this year her husband, Prince Philip, announced he would retire from public duties.
“It’s one more step in her transition,” Lagassé said. However, Lagassé said there is no way for a reigning monarch to retire short of abdication, and Queen Elizabeth is unlikely to do so.
"There are two reasons. The first is that the abdication of her uncle (Edward VIII) was seen as a traumatizing event for her, and the other is that she is a deeply religious person and takes her oath very seriously.
“She sees her coronation as a relationship she has with God as much as with the people. It’s not just a job, it’s not just an office she holds. It is her religious duty.”
Still, the Remembrance Day ceremony was a reminder that those countries whom Elizabeth serves as head of state, including Canada, should prepare for the inevitable royal succession — and there is no guarantee that Prince Charles will remain as stoic or disinterested in political affairs as has his mother.
By all accounts, Charles has strong opinions on a range of topics, from architecture and farming to homoeopathy and genetically modified foods. His correspondence to British government ministers — nicknamed the “black spider memos” for the inky scrawling of the comments he adds by hand to the typed letters — has been the source of some controversy in the U.K.
While the future of the monarchy remains polarizing, Elizabeth II’s largely quiet, non-partisan and dutiful approach has won the Royal Family respite from its worst critics.
“People tend to think that Elizabeth is the model and, therefore, that’s just how a monarch should be. But she very much took on her father’s sense of what a monarch does,” Lagassé said. “Lots of people are convinced Prince Charles is going to emulate his mother and stop being outspoken and be a regular monarch at that point, but I’m not sure. Does somebody just change overnight the habits they built up over the years? Does he see it as an opportunity to change the monarchy?”