Insider Claims Royal Drama Has Been ‘Physically and Emotionally’ Exhausting for Queen Elizabeth
It’s not easy being queen. Queen Elizabeth may not be fully responsible for running the United Kingdom like past monarchs, but she still has a lot to do. She has many royal duties, some of which she delegates to her family members.
The queen will celebrate her 94th birthday this year, and royal insiders claim the shake-ups the royal family has faced recently have been a great source of stress for her.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exit as senior royals
The queen now has fewer family members to whom she can delegate duties. Prince Harry, once just third in line for the throne, announced that he and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior royals. That, among other family issues, has left the queen in damage-control mode for most of the year.
According to royal insiders, the drama has been wearing on the queen. “She’s approaching her 94th birthday in April and should be at a stage in her life where she can ease up and be supported by her loved ones,” a source told Us Weekly.
Even though Harry and Meghan seem happier than ever away from the British tabloids, the queen still hopes they’ll come back at some point, according to insiders. “She’s praying that, over time, Harry will start to see things more clearly,” the source added.
Prince Andrew has ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
Although it was undoubtedly painful for the queen to see Harry and Meghan go, their departure from the royal family can’t compare to the scandal Prince Andrew has made. The queen’s son is accused of having ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case. Andrew had a friendship with Epstein, and there are photographs of the prince with underage girls.
The royal family has denied that Andrew was involved in any illegal activities. However, the prince was removed from his royal duties earlier this year.
Losing three royal family members in a year must have been stressful for the queen. But the good news is her heir stepped up to the plate.
Could Queen Elizabeth be thinking of taking a step back?
Prince Charles, the queen’s oldest son and the heir to the throne, reportedly was instrumental in helping the queen deal with the Prince Andrew scandal. It seems he was behind the decision to effectively kick Prince Andrew off his royal duties.
There are rumors that the queen plans to give more of her royal duties to Charles in preparation for his eventual ascension to the throne. She might even make him Prince Regent, so she can retire completely.
A regency would mean Prince Charles would have all the powers of a king, but the queen would keep her royal title. She could theoretically revoke the regency at any time. For a long time, it seemed like the queen would never retire. But after the year she’s had, retirement must be looking pretty good.
