Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on 9 September 2015 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Victoria.
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Queen Elizabeth has reigned for 70 years and is now well into her 90th decade on earth. The monarch even celebrated her Platinum Jubilee this year, but despite all of that she shows no signs of stopping. Despite the Queen's uncle, King Edward VIII abdicating the throne, it is unlikely she will ever do anything of the sort
In foreign countries, it is not unusual for monarchs to step down from power once they reach a certain age. However, in the United Kingdom, it is considered a breach of tradition and would likely cause scandal.
In 1947, at the age of 21, Queen Elizabeth made a vow to the British people. She promised to rule as Queen until the day she died. She said: "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."
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On June 2, 1953, the day of the Queen's coronation, the sovereign made a series of promises as to her future role as Queen. Ending with the vow: “The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God."
In 2020, palace insiders told royal expert Katie Nicholl that the reigning monarch would “never abdicate” because “it is simply not in her DNA to abandon her people or duty.” Fox News also reported that Elizabeth’s biographer Sally Bedell Smith said: "Her Majesty will most assuredly not step down.
"Unless she becomes incapacitated mentally or physically (which would trigger the Regency Act), she will remain queen until her death."
There are also various practical reasons why Queen Elizabeth step down as head of state and hand over the reins of power to Charles before her death. MyLondon reported that Angela Mollard was asked on the ROYALS podcast whether she thought the Queen would retire from her role.
She said: “No, I think she will pass work onto other members of the royal family but I don’t think she would ever step down. There is actually no legal or practical need to. The work can be done by others and she can just be more of a figurehead.”
This happened historically when Prince George IV's regency lasted 9 years, between 1811-1820, because his father King George III was deemed incapable of performing his duties due to ill health. Recently, there have been talks about Prince Charles becoming regent, however, this would only become the case if the Queen became incapacitated.
Prince Charles will become King after the Queen dies or steps down from the throne.
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