Will she ever abdicate?

SOn 9 September 2015 the queen surpassed Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and 216 days, becoming the longest-reigning British monarch in history. Yet there’s a good chance she could reign longer still. Much, much longer. Her mother lived to be 101, and she was active and alert almost to the very last day of her life.

By way of maintaining their mental agility and staying informed, both Philip and the queen are ardent googlers. If either has a question about something, “they both go straight to their iPads”, an insider reveals.

While allowing the public to believe that she’ll never retire, the queen has spent months with her most trusted advisers sorting out the constitutional implications of abdication. She’s reportedly made it clear to members of her inner circle that she’d voluntarily step down in the event of some debilitating event such as dementia or a stroke.

Given Elizabeth’s advanced age, says one of her senior advisers, “we’re definitely dusting off the Regency Act and taking a fresh look at it”.

Were the Regency Act to be invoked, Charles would essentially become king in all but name.

It’s been two centuries since Britain’s last regency, when George III’s worsening mental illness made it impossible for him to fulfil his duties. His son, the future George IV, assumed his father’s full duties and ruled as Regent from 1811 until 1820 – England’s Regency Period.