Inside ‘Queen Victoria Syndrome’ and the Pressure on Queen Elizabeth II to Abdicate the Throne in the ’90s

Fans who have started watching The Crown’s fifth season on Netflix probably noticed the term Queen Victoria Syndrome used to unfavorably describe Queen Elizabeth II in the opening episode.

Though the show is technically fictionalized, that detail came from reality. Critics calling for abdication in the early ’90s said Elizabeth had one negative similarity with her great-great-grandmother.

But what truth did one real life character say there is behind a plot point suggesting King Charles III encouraged efforts to get the “out of touch” queen to step down?

Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria Syndrome

As discussed in the opening episode of the fifth season of The Crown, Queen Victoria Syndrome was a term once used to describe Elizabeth as a monarch who had reigned for too long in the public’s opinion. For a brief history lesson, Victoria ascended to the throne at 18 and was queen for about 64 years until 1901.

Poll results reported in a 1990 issue of the Sunday Times suggested many people thought Elizabeth had grown “out of touch” by her sixties. A small majority thought she should step down in favor of then-Prince Charles (per Cosmopolitan). This was before he and Princess Diana divorced, when he was briefly more favored than his mother.

The episode suggests Charles, growing somewhat impatient, was part of secret conversations about the queen’s abdication. A spokesperson for another person allegedly involved in those efforts with the future king, former prime minister, Sir John Major, denied that it happened.

The spokesperson added: “There was never any discussion between Sir John and the then Prince of Wales about any possible abdication of the late Queen Elizabeth II – nor was such an improbable and improper subject ever raised by the then Prince of Wales (or Sir John).” pic.twitter.com/h2jfiUtECY

— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) October 18, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II resisted calls for her abdication in the ’90s

As noted by Cosmopolitan, Queen Elizabeth seemed to speak directly to calls for abdication in a public speech. “Next February will see the fortieth anniversary of my father’s death and of my accession. Over the years I have tried to follow my father’s example and to serve you as best I can,” she told the Commonwealth during her Christmas broadcast in 1991.

“I feel the same obligation to you that I felt in 1952,” she shared. “With your prayers, and your help, and with the love and support of my family, I shall try to serve you in the years to come.”

Elizabeth remained on the throne for another 30 years before she died at age 96.

Some people would like King Charles III to abdicate in favor of Prince William

Some observers think Charles should soon abdicate the throne in favor of Prince William, and some sources claim he’s considering it. But not because he’s out of touch. 

The Atlantic called for him to step down soon to avoid ruling into his nineties, should he live as long as his mother. Doing that would mean William would be prevented from ascending to the throne until he was around 60.

They wrote, “… A more consequential use of Charles’s reign would be to rule briefly and abdicate at 75 –– the age when British judges are compelled to retire from the bench –– while touting the importance of passing the throne to Prince William in his son’s prime rather than his dotage.”