I’m going back and forth about what the official palace messaging really is these days. Is the messaging chaotic on purpose, as a way to distract from larger questions about cover-ups and palace lies? Or is the whole operation rotten and dysfunctional, and the result is a decentralized power structure with competing agendas and incompetence at every level? You decide. The Queen was hospitalized last week, and the shambolic courtiers tried and failed to cover it up. People were worried about the severity of the Queen’s condition, and yet the younger royals (William, Kate, Beatrice and Eugenie) were all out and about post-hospitalization, traveling and whatnot, so it can’t be too serious, right? Well, there are many updates about what happens next.
More work for the other royals: Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton are among the senior royals preparing to take on the queen’s duties as she recuperates following her recent hospital stay, the Mirror reports.
The Queen is knackered: “She is knackered,” a source close to the queen tells the Sunday Times. Since she got back from her summer holiday in Balmoral she’s carried out 19 engagements. “It has been too much,” a courtier told the Times, but the desire to pack the diary was the queen’s. “There is very much a desire to get out there, to get back to normal, back to business,” aides told the Times. The queen is still “razor sharp,” those close to her insist.
The Queen doesn’t want to be alone: In private, the queen has had “a constant flow of lunches and dinners with family and friends, because the queen does not want to dine alone,” sources told the Times. She likes to watch TV with former nanny Mabel Anderson, who looked after the queen’s children. A source says the women are “very cozy.” However, the queen reportedly loves late night TV, particularly at weekends.
The purge: As well as family help, palace officials are, says the Mail, “purging” the queen’s diary of engagements, “drawing up a ‘core’ list of key events that the queen will prioritize in the next 12 months, including the Platinum Jubilee to celebrate her 70-year reign in June.”
Will the Cambridges move to Windsor? Charles spent time at Windsor Castle earlier this week, but rumors that William and Kate will move there are “speculation” the palace told the Mirror.
The Queen is seeing family: Princess Anne already stepped in for her mom, handing out awards at one ceremony this week. The queen is reportedly seeing “family who live nearby.” This may include youngest son Prince Edward and his family, and Prince Andrew.
The climate change summit: The queen is still reportedly planning to attend the UN climate change summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1, although the Mail says a final decision on this will be taken this week. One source close to the queen told the Times: “She is fine, but she needs the rest—she is saving her energy for Cop [COP26].” The queen is doing “light duties” this weekend, the Times reports. Her desire to stay busy, a royal source told the paper, is because the queen “doesn’t want to be reminded of her age in any way.”
The Queen will have company: The Telegraph adds that following last week’s health scare, Her Majesty will in future be accompanied by at least one other member of the royal family on any public engagements. The person can offer assistance or even step into her shoes if she is indisposed.
The thing about the Queen having another royal with her on events from now on – that was already supposed to be happening. They said that after Philip passed away, that the Queen would not do solo events anymore. Yet they were prepared to send her to Northern Ireland for two days solo? No wonder she cancelled that trip! She should have had other people with her, people who could have covered the trip and gone in her place. People like William and Kate, who have done f–k all since last Tuesday.
I also think it’s probably exhausting for the Queen to spend so much private time with family and friends. I know that’s probably a great comfort to her, to have Angela Kelly, Mabel Anderson, Sophie Wessex, Princess Anne and all of her daughter/sister figures around, but it’s also likely emotionally draining to constantly have company.
I believe that there are no immediate plans for the Cambridges to move into Windsor Castle. You have to remember, that’s Charles’ scheme nowadays, not really William and Kate’s scheme. And besides, W&K move so slowly on that kind of stuff – they’re probably planning to eventually move into Windsor Castle, but in 2025 or something. They’re also not going to take on much of the Queen’s workload, let’s be real. They’ll do one event in place of the Queen and they’ll immediately need two weeks off.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Something is really weird. Even if the Cambridges don’t step up, Anne and Sophie have proven they can step up to accompany or replace the Queen. Me thinks the 3 courts are warring and Anne / Sophie don’t want to get involved.
This is partly Queen and her courtiers fault for not making Charles regent 5 years ago, and clinging on to stubbornness and warped sense of entitlement over God’s anointment. Her reign seems messy at the end now. She or they forgot she’s human. Or she or they really want Charles to inherit instability and unpopularity. All 3 courts probably pissed with each other or Buckingham is allying with William, against Charles.
It’s really strange isn’t it? Maybe the lizard people rumors are real lol. /s
No one is on the same page. The Queen is stubborn and doesn’t want anything to change. Charles wants more influence and power (and should get it in my opinion. He may be a shit Dad, but at least he has a work ethic). And William is actively trying to usurp Charles by leaking on him. I wouldn’t be surprised if William leaked about the Queen’s hospitalization as someone here suggested. He needs to feed the media beast and he’s got no Sussex scoops anymore.
But here’s the thing. Let’s say William is behind trying to get the Queen to step down and leaking all of Charles dirt to force him to abdicate and it all works. How on earth is he going to handle his reign? The Cambridge’s are as lazy as ever. And I’m sure he’s alienating half of the family. He drove away Harry and Meghan. He’s stabbing Daddy in the back. Making it clear he has no love for Andrew so he can kiss goodbye any help from Beatrice or Eugenie. I guess that leaves him with Edward and Sophie and their kids. But that’s not enough.
Then throw in the fact that the Cambridge’s have become obsessed with trying to compete with the Sussex’s over America. I predict that William will basically ignore the UK. How long will the loyal royalists put up with that?
My prediction (actually it’s my wish, LOL) is the queen will pass, soon…before end of year 2021. Once she passes, Ann will retire. If it’s king Charles Ann will stay on but the Wessexes will be cut off. It will.leave Charles and the Cambridges. Then Charles will reign for about a decade and during that time he’ll push for a republic.
On a more serious note, every day that passes, it get more and more evident how smart the Sussexes were to jump off that sinking Titanic.
I am legitimately curious why you ‘wish’ the Queen ( or anyone really ) to die before the end of the year?
As to the line of succession, it is a done deal, I have as much chance of being the next reigning Monarch as anyone OTHER than Charles.
I don’t see Anne retiring. She likes the perks of paid staff and security via the Sovereign Grant too much. If she isn’t a working royal, those staff and security are pulled. Andrew will be sidelined. Charles would like to sideline the Wessexes but may not be able to, if he can’t force W&K to work more.
William already made it clear, through staff, that he intends to be an old-school monarch who is rarely seen or heard. If he ever makes it to king, he’ll do a handful of engagements a month.
Whilst I’d much prefer @BABSORIG’s prediction to come true, my prediction is that things will happen the way they usually happen because that’s the way they usually happen. This family is most definitely NOT innovative. The Queen will be Queen until she dies. Then Charles will inherit and he will be King until he dies. Then William will be King and he’ll be so irredeemably, bloody awful that us peasants will revolt.
Alternatively, what would be nice is that the Queen dies, Charles becomes King and the British Media finally grow a backbone and expose all the stuff that makes William so unfit to be King that he is forced to step aside by a public backlash and the Commonwealth rising up and demanding full independence. The only person who can reconcile that situation is, of course, in Diana’s words, Good King Harry. We move to a slimmed down monarchy where the public purse supports only the monarch and their immediate family under 21. Hoorah.
If only.
Look, the queen is 95 years old. She’s lived a life of privilege off of poor peoples backs, and most of those poor people are people of color. So fuck yeah, if she dies it’s not the f-ing end of the world. My niece died at 48 of a freaking brain bleed because my family didn’t have the money for treatment. Im from a very poor country that was once a British colony that never recovered from GREAT BRITAIN robbing us of all our natural resources to enrich themselves. Please, if the queen dies, she dies; she’s lived a full life of wealth and privilege for 95 years, it’s okay for her to rest with her ancestors.
@BABSORIG
You say this: “…..every day that passes, it gets more and more evident how smart the Sussexes were to jump off that sinking Titanic.”
Yet your first sentence is this: “My prediction (actually it’s my wish, LOL) is the queen will pass, soon…before end of year 2021.”
The 2 are incompatible. If you wish the Sussexes well, you cant at the same time also wish to see the end of betty “before the end of 2021.” Because that will seriously f*ck up the Sussexes upcoming work agenda. Can you imagine the Sussexes trying to launch projects in the wake of betty’s demise without SewageIsland sh*tting on it trying to lay all sorts of blame on them? And getting otherwise noncommited persons to pile on?
Which is why I said last week…….let her hang on until any time after 2022…..let them have their jubilee. The Sussexes hv a mountain of things coming onstream during this final quarter of the year and into the first half of 2022 (at least 1 Spotify episode/IG Netflix series/IGames in the Hague/Pearl…) so the jubilee will NOT be the only royal game in town. And then in the fall, there will be H’s memoir, coming on the heels of their jubilee and wiping away the after-glow and dropping truth bombs that will not be able to be swept away.
The Sussexes are not and shouldn’t be patterning their professional behavior on the Queen’s health. The RR’s are going to criticize them no matter what. If anything, the Queen passing will only highlight how inept her successors are.
The insistence that some posters place on the idea that the negative British media is influencing high profile people to “pile” on the Sussexes makes no sense to me.
The Sussexes are going to have projects going on every year. One of those years, the Queen is going to pass. Just how it is.
If anything I think the jubilee will be more harmful for Harry and Meghan in terms of the British media because they are going to be the subject of 9 million “are they coming? What will that be like?” articles. No doubt they could weather that, but it would be irritating.
Thank you @Maria. Why some people think the Sussexes’ work ends with the queen is beyond me. The Sussexes will be working and launching projects every single year they live, so please stop with this once the queen dies that’s the end of the Sussexes. Whether the queen dies or lives has absolutely nothing g to do with the Archwell Foundation, the Sussexes are independent of the monarchy. And @Charm, are kidding me with your “if Iyou wish the Sussexes well you can’t wish for the queen to pass” comment? Big eye roll🙄🙄🙄
I agree with BabsOrig. The queen is a political figure, propaganda for the monarchy and enduring colonialism. A lot of atrocious brutality went down in her name, and I am not here for whitewashing it. The sooner the monarchy ends, the better for the people.
@Snuffles, how is he going to handle his reign? Kings and Queens don’t work 12-16 hour days. They delegate everything and swoop in for PR. If an idiot like Trump can be CEO by bullying, firing and hiring, William can be King. If nobody in power and media calls him out, like now, he gets away with it.
The queen could easily step back from the bread and butter public engagements, and just step out for the ceremonial stuff like trooping the colour, the jubilee and weddings. She could do this and still be queen, she’s not abdicating anything, she could just pass all the heavy lifting to Charles. Remember Queen Victoria didn’t do public engagements for like 40 years. Something tells me the queens dogs are reluctant to give Charles and William any more power. It’s probably why they are so desperate for harry to come back (alone of course).
Indeed, the monarchy should not still exist. I don’t know why that wasn’t focused on more during BLM. People were busy tearing down statues and monuments, while ignoring the fact that they have living figures of white colonialism still in a position of power and immense privilege on the back of it.
Saying that, I guess you can’t change the fact that there will be people out there who still experience great privilege on the back of historic white supremacy. It comes down to the luck of the draw in terms of birth, and as long as they own it, I guess that’s the best we can ask for.
I agree with Babsorig. Mrs. Mountbatten Windsor has lived a very long and very pampered life. Her passing won’t be a tragedy. Sad for her admired, yes. But a tragic event, no. She’s on her last leg. But if that makes some people upset then I’ll go one further and say that when the big day finally comes, a day which I think will come sooner than we know, Harry and Meghan will finally be completely free. No more queenie around to hold over their heads or bludgeon them with. No more biting their tongues if they don’t feel like it and no more prefacing every other statement with how much they admire and respect the queen, etc. Once she’s gone, they’ll finally be able to just live.
And that goes for Britain and the Commonwealth as well. Her passing will represent the end of a certain kind of Britain. Her death could be an opportunity for something new and better to grow in GB.
I think QE keeps going for several reasons:
1. she doesn’t know what else to do;
2. Charles needs as much time as possible to make a good impression;
3. William and Kate are doing the family thing and not stepping up;
4. to keep the monarchy strong while Andrew’s issues play out;
5. and….she set the line that nobody can step in for part time work to help out…
So she and the monarchy are stuck with the same group of players. Unpopular Charles and Camilla. Lazy William and Kate. Beloved but aging Anne, Alexandra, Elizabeth.
Charles did nothing to help Harry and Meghan and said nothing when Archie was likened to a chimp. He is catering to William now. which is most unfortunate.
I think she is probably just exhausted. i’m not sure about the hospitalization but I believe if it was that serious Eugenie and Beatrice would have stuck around Windsor and London (can’t speak for the Cambs though.)
I said this a few days ago and I still think its the case – the queen is 95 but her scheduler/secretary/staff haven’t gotten that memo yet. The pandemic meant there wasn’t really a gradual slowdown of her schedule going from 93 to 95. She was quarantined and on a very scaled down schedule for 18 months and now I think they’re getting her back to her old schedule from 2 years ago and she can’t keep up with it. It’s also possible that just during the pandemic she got used to a different schedule and her body adjusted and now she can’t get back to her old schedule.
At least we know why the Cambs weren’t sent to NI in the Queen’s stead – they were already flying off to another vacation.
I’m admittedly completely anti-monarchy so I’d have no interest in seeing the Queen anywhere but I have to wonder what’s wrong with people who are desperate for a 95 year old woman to be going here, there, and everywhere, meeting and glad-handing people. Can you honestly not be pro-monarchy if you don’t get a chance to see the Queen in person? Is your support for the monarch and the institution so flimsy that it requires periodic renewal via face to face interaction? My grandparents are in their mid eighties and they aren’t capable of much, so I have no trouble believing that a 95 year old gets ‘knackered’ doing very little. It seems like this obsession with the Queen being visible is essentially an admittance that the rest of the sorry shower won’t cut the mustard, in any combination.
Jane: I think there is a huge fear that the institution will not survive once The Queen dies. The confusing messages is probably reflected of that fear.
Philip did always say the royals have to be seen to be believed and I think we’re seeing that sentiment play out here. With all the instability currently rocking the Firm they need to remind the people of their connection to the royals and since everyone hates Charles and Waity and William buy all their good press, TQ is the only one the public feels some kind of connection to. When she dies, the royals will enjoy probably 5 years of good press, sympathy and a national fear of more change and unrest but if Brexit keeps rocking the UK’s shit like it is, after those five years it’s gonna be open season.
I don’t think people in the UK are particularly bothered about the Queen showing up to events. She’s 95 and people relate her to their own grandparents. I don’t think there are many, who at her age would be able to constantly be rolled out at various events.
I wonder whether this is the Queen, knowing her days are limited, doing every last thing that she can and being stubborn, combined with courtiers thinking that this somehow looks good, or that the Queen provides a distraction.
The Queen said she has to be seen to be believed. Philip talked about how the monarchy was a strange institution, and if people didn’t want it, they (the people) would get rid of it.
Charles quoted his father on it years ago, ‘Something as curious as the monarchy won’t survive unless you take account of people’s attitudes. After all, if people don’t want it, they won’t have it.’
Becks1: Your assessment is spot on. I agree that The Queen had adjusted to her COVID schedule. She’s 95 and 2 years can have a significant impact on someone her age. Regardless of how “sharp” she seems on most days they need to reduce her schedule. Frankly she should have the schedule of the Cambridges, i.e work several engagements for 1 week (several meaning 2) and take 2 months off.
I was writing just that and thankfully saw your comment. Indeed, the Queen should have the Cambridges schedule. They really need to step up and relieve her of some of her duties. They probably cost more to maintain than she does.
Yes, I agree! Their schedules should be flipped, with the Queen doing the bare minimum now that she’s 95, and W & K picking up all the slack. They’re young and they have childcare up the yingyang, so they can’t use that excuse.
But W&K also happen to be idiots. So something has to give.
Seeing the numbers of what the Queen does and the little the Cambridges still do is shocking. William and Kate did not do 19 engagements since the Queen returned from balmoral, which was in September. It remains unacceptable that she is doing that much more than them.
Post their summer “break” – Kate visited the university, she went to NI, she went to the Bond premiere, earth shot, and then the keynote address at the “new” action for addiction (I forget which charity absorbed it.)
That’s 5 events. EVEN if I am missing some and she did twice that, that’s still TEN events (at most, and I don’t think I missed 5) and that’s since the beginning of September. It’s October 25. The Queen didn’t even come back from Balmoral until, what, mid september?
Its unconscionable that a 95 year old woman is outworking her grandson and granddaughter-in-law like this.
I believe you nailed it Becks. There is truth to the old adage “use it or lose it.” Expecting QEII to go from 0 to 100 after basically being homebound for almost a year is just not sensible.
Someone jokingly said on Twitter that it was late night FaceTime to CA that was keeping her awake, not television. At the age of 95 everyone deserves a rest, her family over there not stepping up does not surprise me at all.
Lol. She’s sitting there with nanny, watching later and later television, waiting for nanny to fall asleep so she can finally FaceTime the Sussexes.
@ Cessily, I could see her waiting to call Harry. She is probably very close to Harry and admired his work ethic and admires Meghan as well. I think that those who refused the half in/out, were probably due to PWT holding his breath to get his way. Which is now coming into focus for The Monarchy that they chose to bet on the wrong horse.
TQ is probably very concerned not only about the current state of affairs but also the unwillingness of PWT and KKWeen Stalker not stepping up. They have allowed PWT to run wild his entire life and now they are stuck with these two losers. When I look back on the time that TQ would interact with Harry, and Meghan, she always seemed genuinely interested and seemed to enjoy their companionship and their ability to hold conversations of intellect. TQ also made a mad dash to see Harry the last time he was in town.
Though, the bottom line is that she didn’t come to their rescue, but more importantly Meghans. I wonder what the true story is behind TQ’s lack of empathy towards the two of them and not stepping in.
It was concerning to me that William was given so much of a say in what happened to Harry and Meghan. The Queen should have put him in his place and said he had no business interfering in Harry’s relationship with Meghan.
As soon as people retire and get used to a new, lighter daily routine, it’s so hard to get back into a full time work load. Even when young people start a new job, it’s exhausting getting into a new work load. I remember being so tired for the first few weeks when I started my first job after uni and I was only 21. The queen probably adjusted to being at home during the pandemic, and I think she should just stay there and enjoy what time she has left. The Keens should be embarrassed at how little they do. Pre-pandemic the queen was doing 300+ engagements plus all the queen duties such as her red boxes and PM weekly meetings. Meanwhile kate was only doing around 100+, such a joke,
I think you’re right–she basically semi-retired with the pandemic and her courtiers/she tried to ramp back up to 100% pre-pandemic schedule too fast.
Hell, I am only 39 and my job is likely going to continue to be WFH through the winter and the idea of getting back into a commuting schedule even 2-3 days/week next spring has *me* exhausted!
“ Or is the whole operation rotten and dysfunctional, and the result is a decentralized power structure with competing agendas and incompetence at every level? ”
This. But I can believe she’s exhausted. She 95 for goodness sakes! Her schedule would tire anyone. Her team should have been smart enough to know this.
At this point the Cambridge’s should be stepping up, but they’re fucking off on yet another vacation. As for other members of the family being out and about being a sign that nothing is wrong? That doesn’t mean anything. They’re motto is “keep calm and carry on”. They won’t let on anything if they can help it.
She’s probably got dementia. Constantly assuring people she’s sharp is a dead giveaway and having people with her is bc she’s probably doing the sundown wandering thing. She needs to be retired. Eff the jubilee bc i doubt she will make it that long. She made this mess and hopefully will see it all crash and burn.
I just keep thinking of that event where ole Petty Betty was trying to cut a cake with a full on sword and was swinging it around, and everyone was looking at her like my family looks at my 98 year old grandad with dementia when he does/says something completely out there but we don’t want to alarm him.
@originallala – just rewatched the cake cutting video. It’s a hoot. She’s entitled to cut back at 95. The LazyBridges need to step up.
Agreed, Snuffles.
When Prince Charles becomes King there should be just one court and everything should be handled from there. I know it sounds simplistic but clearly the current system as the Queen ‘deteriorates’ is proving the chaos that will ensue. Charles should take real charge,clean house and bring new courtiers operating in the 21st century.
No, you’re right. this idea with the prince of wales and the heir having separate courts is not playing out well. If Charles is serious about “streamlining” the monarchy that’s one of the first things he should do – consolidate all the offices. Have one central office responsible for all the scheduling, all the press, etc.
An idea William will fight tooth and nail, since he has honed his laziness with his own office. They know his excuses. They don’t push him. They coddle him. They don’t mind that he doesn’t show up.
If it’s his dad’s office? That stuff isn’t going to fly, not without a major fight first.
Oh William isn’t going to like it at all. Frankly Charles should do it now – either fold KP into CH or BP (like the Sussexes became part of BP) and say its for “funding” reasons, since once William is Duke of Cornwall he’ll have access to the duchy funds for his own office. Charles should pull the funding now for William and have him part of his office going forward and then it will be harder to to separate back out when the queen passes.
Of course this is all just what they “should” do if they want to look competent and like they do genuinely care about “streamlining” the monarchy – so they definitely won’t do it, lol.
He tried that once, William stayed for about a year, then left and dragged Harry with him. But I agree Becks1, that is what needs to happen. Central scheduling. Now there can be days where three royals show up in the same town, all doing different bread and butter engagements. Accept the invitations, send one royal out to do all the events in that area that week.
@noki: you are right but do you think william will just allow that? I think he likes the fact that he has his own court that HE is the boss of. Despite the fact that he is disastrous at leading it.
@Chloe whatever emotional guilt hold William has over Charles (im guessing probably has to do with Diana) it needs to stop now if they plan on seeing George ascend the throne one day. Let William have a hissy fit if he wants to,Charles will gain his respect by not trying to appease him all the time.
William has no ethical leg to stand on when it comes to faithfulness in a marriage, Noki. That’s one big thing Charles now has over William. He also controls the future of the Prince of Wales title. If he doesn’t want William to be POW, he never has to name him as such.
@Chloe, I agree that William will hate it and try to stop it from happening, but I think I disagree with you re: Charles. You called his reputation “fragile,” but I see it more as — most of Charles’s dirty laundry has been out there for decades and his various scandals have already been discussed to death. He’s weathered all of it. At this point, I think William still has all of the dirty laundry that has been kept hidden until now, but Chuck will use it when he needs to.
Charles is up next, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it, no matter how low his approval rating may be. He doesn’t need to win any elections, so he can really do whateverTF he wants.
. People may get a new editor for one thing and would not be all that thrilled with William. I think there is mutual distrust between William and Charles but they are “playing nice” now and Charles chose William over Harry, and let WIlliam drive Harry away. Something I think will cause Charles major issues in the future. I am not enthusiastic about the next two monarchs, to say the least.
I agree with you. Once HM dies, all the courts should be streamlined into one. BP and CH naturally will be because of Charles’ ascension but KP should be brought under BP too. Or at least have them communication with the other courts because right now, BP, CH and KP act and run like they are 3 different monarchies.
@noki: again i don’t disagree with you. But we’ve all seen how william gets when he doesn’t get his way. He plays nasty. And charles’ reputation is already fragile. I don’t think he wants to get into a media wat with william
I think not all the public adores William. I don’t think he can just sail along on spin of being “Diana’s son.” He is more and more like Charles. I think William whatever popularity Will has will drop significantly, just my take on it.
Noki, agreed.
@noki do you know if that is how the Dutch run their show (with one court)? They seem to get different folks out all the time and they have weathered some major scandals (also had much tragedy). I believe the DRF are even more costly to the public than the BRF yet to many who pay for them are beloved.
Most, if the all, the other European monarchies operate with one press office. It is only the BRF that has a system that is byzantine, decentralized and unwieldy. Plus, they spend a lot of time briefing against each other because this family is so utterly dysfunctional.
@arthistorian thanks. Why am I not surprised.
Yep. This. But Charles is a wimp when it comes to William which is why William is the petulant, spoiled brat he is.
If Charles’ intention is to clean house, this is why I suspect the Queen’s courtiers discourage her stepping down and may be allying with William. Charles’ reign may be short so the next best thing to align with is the Cambridges. We’ve seen how they get away with so many things!
I don’t think Charles will do a thing, he will continue to cater to William and let WIlliam call the shots about Harry.
Let’s see, they insist NOTHING is wrong, other than age, and “they *insist* she’s “razor sharp”… yet:
She’s been taken off booze (maybe some liver problems after a lifetime of heavy drinking).
She’s taken a few spills, so she’s got the cane (balance issues in the elderly is a big thing, but does she ever take anyone’s arm in public? I mean, I’ve never really noticed if she’s held onto Charles’ arm in public…power move? Or to keep him in his “place” a few steps behind her?)
Sudden need for Hospitalization? From a fall? Said liver issues or detoxing from all that drinking (did they wean her or go cold turkey?). She usually would have her drs come TO her…unless she needed scans (CT? MRI? from a fall? Palpitations?)
All 3 palaces can’t get their acts together/coordinated and are already pitting against each other. And all are throwing out pics/articles to the press like raw meat to a lion.
So much just doesn’t add up.
The sudden hospitalization frankly doesn’t surprise me at her age. Having had 2 parents pass away in their late 80’s recently, the slightest thing would see their GP refer them to hospital for observation. Small infections can turn nasty quickly at this age.
I’m not sure I agree with the removal of all her booze unless it is a balance or drug interaction issue. At this stage of their lives, I think its cruel to deny people small pleasures (see above caveat), that helps give comfort and a sense of normalcy. The constant remind of your advanced age and impending death is very difficult for many to handle. I saw my father go through it, and now my uncle. It’s difficult to watch.
That’s how I feel about my dad (age 94). If he wants his one cocktail every evening (5 pm he has a Black Russian), or he’d rather have some crackers and cheese w/it instead of dinner, I’m not going to deny him. He wants corned beef? Pastrami? Potato chips? All *not* great for high blood pressure, but… he gets it. Even his doctor agrees (w/in reason of course!).
Whatever small pleasures he wants he can have. He’s weathered a *lot* in his life (incl. surviving the Holocaust as a boy), and he made it to his mid 90s. I’d say he’s entitled.
Same for Ol’ Brenda. She’s worked this job all of her life, even though it *was* a *pampered* life. I don’t think she’s ever lacked for/wanted anything she hasn’t gotten (incl. during WWII, with rationing). Even though she’s not my favorite person, as a 95 yr old, with a warring family, she should either put her foot down and tell them to cut the crap (while she still can), or just say *(&^% it, and sit back, with her feet up, sipping her G&T, and watch her dogs and horses frolic.
I truly wonder if the Queen caught covid somewhere. Being transparent about her catching something like that would trigger news around the world, news that she doesn’t want to deal with. Alcohol is out for fighting long haul or the virus and you need a ton of tests to check your lungs and heart.
This! I think she’s had a few private falls. Last one being potentially more severe/ left a mark.
Also she has reigned for 2 generations. And her family is scandal ridden. She’s hanging on for that I’d say. To wait for things she thinks will blow over to do so (they won’t).
Previous monarchies these power plays would work and depose kings. I’m here for that actually. I hope the media unleashes all the crap held back for the queens sake and the male heirs go to war on the press. No one likes them anyway. This shit show between communications teams is very entertaining from my point of view.
You would first have to get the lazebridges to give up vacationing as a job in order for them to actually do real work.
How will PWT and Wiglets pick up the slack, given they’ve already toddled off on a non-environmentally-friendly holiday? And never lift a finger at the best of times? Isn’t Kate still ‘finding her voice’ and ‘coming into her own’? Hasn’t PWT spent the last decade ‘preparing for kingship’, apart from the pesky work obligations?
I’m certain, now, that Her Maj won’t last til Christmukah. If she’s seeing family, she’s saying her goodbyes. Shows how valuable PWT and Wiglets are compared to the inner circle.
Republic in five years. I’ll put a bet on it, and I never gamble.
When the Queen Mother died, there was a renewed sense of pride in the monarchy and misplaced patriotism. The lying in state! The funeral! The pomp! I expect it to be the same, times 100 when the Queen dies. It will be seen as betraying the “late, great” Queen to even whisper the word Republic. Her death will delay our (well, mine at least) Republican hopes for at least an extra decade.
@Ines, I agree with you that it will probably be like that for a (long) while after the Queen passes. But as more time goes by, I think people will become more comfortable speaking out truthfully about her and her many failures.
No one is going to badmouth a recently deceased, widely beloved woman. But, in 5,8,10 years? IMO a lot of the dirt will eventually come out, it might just take a while.
This family has also shown us that nothing is impossible. A few decades ago, the thought of Charles marrying Camilla and Camilla possibly becoming titled “Queen” after Diana died an early, violent death would have been UNTHINKABLE. And that was pre-social-media. But here we are. It’s hard to predict wtf will happen with this family when the Queen is gone, but I’m sure it will go off the rails somehow.
Charles does whatever he wants. I don’t think the attitude towards Camilla has changed all that much–she is not “beloved” to say the least, but it does not matter.. Charles IMO has and had every intention of having Camilla titled Queen. The Queen’s worst failures included the way she treated Diana before and after Diana died, the way she coddles Andrew, and her treatment of Harry and Meghan. Of course Charles probably would not see it as a “flaw” about the way she treated Diana, Harry and Meghan. William will need to be reined in but I doubt Charles will bother…
There won’t be a republic in five years. There isn’t the appetite for it and it would be too much of a faff to organise. Have you been to Britain recently? There are bigger fish to fry right now.
The first part of your statement I can maybe agree with, that there isn’t an appetite for it currently that is sufficient to what would need to happen, but as for the second part – those “bigger fish to fry” are directly correlated to the waste and corruption of this institution, so that’s not a stable argument.
The fact of the matter is that when the Queen goes, the monarchy will be weakened.
@Aidevee I live in Britain, and am British. I’ve read the room. PaedoAndy’s disgusting behaviour, Mumsy paying for him to continue to abuse Virginia Giuffre, Charles’s cash for honours, and W&K’s laziness are all cause for huge concern. Their habit of flashing the cash while doing nothing for the country, and preaching how the rest of us should live while leaving a carbon footprint bigger than Birmingham, is a huge cause for concern. Brexit has been a catastrophe and is getting worse, a thousand people are dying of Covid a week and the ill-funded NHS is at its utmost limits (and it’s only October). The renewed interest in Charles and Camilla’s marital affair that accompanied the Crown has left the younger generations loathing him – ditto the RF and Brutish Media’s treatment of Harry and Meghan. Watch the Commonwealth slide away due to the misogynoir displayed towards the first woman of colour in a white supremacist institution; watch the public backlash at Charles’s interference in politics once he ascends; and – speculation – watch the public fall out of love with William (his PR has done a fine job) when he divorces ‘Catherine’.
Who knows what will happen. We couldn’t have predicted half the stuff that’s already happened. There are indeed much larger concerns in the UK right now. The monarchy might be full of corruption, but that’s everywhere you look, not just the monarchy. It isn’t even just a UK thing. It’s a worldwide thing, and it’s all a huge web. The monarchy really are just one small part.
That’s the problem, the monarchy isn’t just one small part. They are influencing the negative things happening to the UK right now. They may appear to just be figureheads but they have their hands in all these pots.
@ Andrew’s Nemesis, see! This is what I am interested in, the view of Britain’s public. We can scream, call out, speculate, wonder and try to view what is truly going on from across the pond but we don’t have to endure the catastrophic events. We don’t know what the sentiments are across the pond as we only have the publications for news and current news.
I feel great empathy for the everyday folk in Britain, especially the NHS which has been mistreated terribly during Covid-19. The NHS had been treated terribly in the past with regards to wages but it was magnified during the coronavirus. The looming Brexit, the lack of goods due to the lack of lorry drivers. My heart was broken to watch a majority of the country sit in lines for petrol for hours, only to be left with none to be had and the fights that ensued.
We can all speculate as much as we want but we have no idea what it’s like to live there.
The only thing I know for certain is that when TQ passes away, I speculate ALL hell will break lose!!
My personal opinion is Johnson would love to get rid of the monarchy.
I dunno man. When the Queen mother died there wasn’t a pandemic and Brexit fucking up everything. And social media wasn’t a thing either. The landscape is drastically different. Who knows how the nation will react. Honestly, I’d give it a year, not 5.
Nope, it’s not happening. It just won’t. I don’t disagree that issues of systemic inequality exist, but even that won’t be enough to topple our system of constitutional monarchy.
Oh, I so hope I’m wrong! But the Brexit voters don’t believe any of the current issues are Brexit related (I know, I know), and they tend to be pro-monarchy too. And they care enough to vote.
Never say never. Most of the worst of what they’ve done is buried and ignored out of respect for the Queen. She has public opinion on her side in a way absolutely none of the rest of them do. When she’s gone, the disorganization and corruption will become more apparent, and combined with the other problems going on will become even starker in comparison.
Monarchies fall in the modern age from refusal to modernize and adapt. This one has that in spades. And the saga of Harry and Meghan isn’t going to help them.
That said I think it will take time. But if it was ever likely it’ll be in the coming years.
Don’t get me wrong. Most people at the top have a vested interest in keeping the monarchy. But once she’s gone, it’s more likely they’ll find a way to turn that money and influence towards themselves rather than propping this family up.
Another thing to remember in these “will the monarchy be abolished” conversations is that if the monarchy is abolished, so will the peerage and there are a lot of powerful people who want to keep it around because they want titles/knighthoods. So that’s another reason why I don’t see the monarchy being abolished.
If they can work out a way to keep the peerage/titles but not the monarchy, maybe but honestly I don’t see it.
Sofia – I think they could feasibly achieve that. Most of the peers think they’re above the Royal Family anyway in terms of ancestry. Even Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate retained the peerage system. It probably won’t be the vision of equality a republic would ideally be but the dole-scrounging Windsors would at least be out of power.
It won’t happen unless the Media turn on them and start telling the truth. IF the media turns it will be curtains for them all in a matter of months. Look at how quickly the papers turned on the Queen within days of Diana’s death for not returning to London or flying the BP flag at half mast. The mood went ugly in days.
Monarchy being abolished would only mean no more made nobles/knights. France and Germany still have nobles to this day.Itaky too, as RR always make sure to remember when they bring up Edo, that Beatrice is a Contessa, even though Italy had not had a King in a century… In Germany they hold on to wealth/lands and titles , inheritance laws at all.
The angry response to the coverage of Phillips death should have been a wakeup call. The profligate waste, racism, and unethical behavior of these pampered poodles is on full show. The majority are not pleased.
It is possible to continue with a much smaller, drastically less expensive monarchy. Working members are allowed one small set of rooms in one palace. Strict budgets. Minimum work requirements. Must pay their own security for holidays and private properties. I could see that interim step before a full-on republic.
@Nota – that is what I think we are most likely to see in 20 years – not the end of the monarchy itself, but one that is “actually” scaled back. Not three competing press offices, all of the monarch’s children on the sovereign grant, etc. Harry has set the standard now that only the heir is a working royal. William won’t want his kids to have to actually “work”, but it will be interesting to see what Charles does over the next decade.
Other European countries have monarchies and while there is always going to be scandal and such, they seem to have cut back on it a great deal, as opposed to the Windsors who are just a dysfunctional mess.
@ Andrew’s Nemesis, I can see the deterioration already. TQ knows how unpopular Chaz is, but he works hard and is capable of being king. Yet, I think that TQ has finally realized how incompetent, lazy and unwilling PWT is and she is probably trying to secure The Monarchy by continuing her grueling schedule. TQ sees that the future after Chaz is in jeopardy and after her dedication and hard work that she has done for the last 70 years is going up in smoke right before her eyes. I don’t think that TQ has any alliance with PWT as she sees that he is a selfish, lazy, immature and zero sense of duty!!
@Becks1
The Windsors do seem to be especially dysfunctional – though they are still nowhere near as messy as the Spanish RF. I just read that apparently the Spanish secret service gave the former king female hormones because they deemed his sex drive a national security risk!!!!
@arthistorian – omg. That may be the craziest thing I’ve read in a long time 🤣 is he still hiding out in the Middle East?
“knackered” is a pretty dodgy word for the anonymous source to use regarding the Queen. when a horse is old or injured and can’t race any longer, they take it to the knacker yard. people certainly use it to mean being very tired, but it has the whiff of death (and in particular dead animals) to it. are they suggesting she’s got one foot in the grave? sounds that way.
really commonly used word in the UK. i wouldnt read too much into that
As Harry told us in the Oprah interview, the Queen is not in control of her diary, the courtiers are, so they have to take blame for not recognizing that the Queen is old and can’t take on as many public engagements as she did in the past. I also think she has been impacted by the pandemic due to the change in routine and is having difficulty readjusting to her old one. That’s understandable. What I don’t get is why her closest advisors did not consult her doctors before devising her diary after the UK opened up? It’s like they haven’t been observing that she’s getting slower, becoming unsteady and more frail. Even if the Queen wanted to do a bunch of engagements, the courtiers have the power to limit how many she does.
I really don’t understand how the courtiers function. Like…the Queen cannot keep her current workload, but their second line are also senior citizens. They can’t be expected to do as many engagements either. The third line consists of one couple that doesn’t want to work and another who is forgettable.
If I was in that family, I would be sending out the memo for everyone to adopt. They clearly need some extra hands if they want to monarchy to survive (and just having more babies a good look right now).
@lemons: that is why they needed the sussexes. They still need the sussexes. I still think that the plan was to make them the scapegoats while they carried the majority of the workload. William is pissed at harry for multiple reasons and this is probably one of them.
Now would be a pretty good time for half in/half out. The place is so dumb. As of Won’t and Kan’t were going to step up to the plate if Harry and Meghan left because those have never stepped up ever.
It’s just so stupid, considering the FFK and FFQ have ALWAYS been half-in/half-out. Those two haven’t worked a full schedule EVER, neither has an accomplishment of their own at the level of Sentebale, Invictus, Archewell, etc…Hell, Meghan’s first big project was the amazing Together cookbook and fully funding Hubb remaining open 7 days a week, which only highlights the utter uselessness of the heir and his lazy wife.
Even if she’s still “razor sharp”, she’s 95 and her body is going to act like it. Yes she’s got the best doctors and chefs etc etc but all bodies slow down when you get older no matter what your lifestyle is. Even 93 to 95 is a jump at that age so combined that with losing her husband of 70+ years, it’s not a surprise that she’s genuinely tired and should slow down.
She’s not going to be around forever (may seem like it) so courtiers need to be prepared and ease her out of public life and ease in Charles instead of sticking their heads in the sand with the strategy of “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there”.
No sympathy for any of them. Racism is costly as hell! I’m sure they still think it was worth it to chase 2 hardworking people out of the fold because the son married a biracial woman. Oh well. Good luck getting those 2 welfare queens (William & Kate) to do even one extra call a week (between the 2 of them). Serves them all right.
Well, “stepping up” for some royals just means attempting to raise their personal profiles with more expensive projects. Not sure how that fills the gaps left by the Queen (not to mention the voids left by various other members of the family). But I love that for them. I wish them no luck at all.
Will and Kate really seem to be relying on bought PR. They are like a hot air balloon – all PR spin and no work.
I have to laugh at the stans going on about how “successful” and “perfect” future Queen Kate is because she put on a gold gown and put her hair up at a Film Premiere of all things. LOL>
They had the Queen meeting and greeting all those billionaires at an evening reception last week, then she was supposed to get up the next day and go to Northern Ireland? Maybe reduce her evening engagements so she eats dinner then relaxes in front of the telly.
Also, Ed Sheeran just announced he tested positive for covid. William and Ed schmoozed backstage at Earthshot last Sunday night. Two nights later, William schmoozed at the same evening reception with the Queen. No one was wearing masks. They are taking unnecessary chances with her health.
I wonder if she has “light Covid.” We already know they wouldn’t tell us if she did. Not even if she were just exposed. Spending the night in the hospital for tests and observation, being exhausted, etc., not wanting to tax her system. She’s probably on Regeneron. Or maybe she’s just old. Either thing can take its toll.
Yeah, she is much more ill than they are letting on to. What are light duties for the Queen? Did it mean being seen at all by the public?
A few years ago I would’ve had sympathy for the Queen, but now I don’t. Maybe if she wasn’t so soft on her lazy grandson and his wife during the years post-wedding, she wouldn’t find herself to be in this position. As @Becks said upthread, her body has clearly gotten used to a soft and laid-back schedule because of the pandemic. A large majority of us got used to it too and we’re not 95 and frail lol. The fact her heirs, more specifically Will & Keen, haven’t had the slightest inkling to pick up even half of her schedule is disgraceful. Instead they decide to jet off on holiday on the same day she’s admitted to hospital.
It’s quite clear Will & Keen have no interest in getting busy. In fact, the more they approach the throne, the lazier they are getting. These two are in for a very big fall from grace.
@The Duchess, even though we know the Cambridges are not bright and terrible at PR, I still cannot understand for the life of me how they thought jetting off on some vacation *right now*, with all of this going on, was a good idea. We knew they were tone deaf, but this is next level.
The thing is I think Will and Kate REALLY believe their own PR and think they are “great.” Very pathetic IMO.
“…decentralized power structure with competing agendas and incompetence at every level” pretty much sums it up.
Don’t forget the Cambridge’s only work when Meghan and Harry have done something or they have an occasion coming up
The press and the palace are acting like next years Jubilee will be make it or break it for the monarchy and they’ll keep the queen alive by any means necessary to insure that it proceeds according to plan.
In my mother’s last year she showed all of the symptoms the Queen is showing — she’d been pretty healthy up to 91, but things went downhill very quickly after that. She was in and out of hospital, had several bad falls, spells of dementia, etc. Just after her 92nd birthday I told a good friend I’d be surprised if she lasted 6 months and she passed away 5 months later. The courtiers can make up all the stories they want about her being simply knackered because she’s doing too much, but the truth is she’s running out of steam. I think Philip’s death had more of an effect on her overall health than anyone wants to admit, and like others, I think there’s a more to this than mere tiredness.
I don’t think the massive worldwide meltdown in grief that the BRF and the RR are expecting at the death of the Queen will happen. That type of reaction happens when someone dies young, or tragically, when they die in their late 90s it’s a different reaction.
The event of the last four years, the information about her behind the scene dealings to avoid certain laws have knocked her off a peg or two with a lot of people. Women are looking at her through different lenses and have noted her total lack of support for women during her reign.
I don’t believe world leaders of a certain age meeting her today are at awe, they show the same respect they would any 95 year old but she’s not relevant to them.
It will be like John Paul II’s funeral. Everyone who’s anyone will want to go.
But that would be because she was the UK’s head of state, not because of any personal quality or accomplishment of her own. People will go out of respect for the UK and to honor a nation-ally, but not to honor her, the person. As an individual, her life was meaningless. The only remarkable thing about her is that she may have squandered more than any other person who has ever walked the face of the earth. That is not hyperbole, I mean that literally.
@Athena, I think it will be an enormous deal worldwide; the only people feeling “grief” might be British, but as someone pointed out on here the other day, most people alive on this planet right now have never known a world without her. It will feel like the end of an era for a huge percentage of the population.
Her reputation has definitely taken a hit over the past few years (rightfully so), but I think when she does finally die, it really will feel like a huge world event, at least initially. As time passes, people might start sharing some unflattering stories that they were keeping quiet about out of respect for her, but the truth always comes out eventually, even if it’s in little drips and drops over a number of years.
It will Absolutely be a huge deal when she dies, but I’m not sure how much of that “deal” will be grief. Like I think people will be sad but also….she’s 95. We all know she’s going to go sooner rather than later. So I think there will be some pushback like there was with Philip’s death, but maybe not to that extent.
It will be front page above the fold, yes. But only on the day she dies, and on the day of her funeral. And the next day the rest of the world will move on.
Wow, color me surprised that a 95 year old is tired! I spend this past weekend with a couple visiting my family that is in their 90s. The husband is 97 years old and spends most of his time sleeping and not getting up til 11 or 12. During meals, he would pay attention and be awake but as he has dementia, he was a bit in and out I think. I was surprised at how still sharp he was when he was awake though, he definitely was more alert than I gave him credit for. I’m guessing the Queen is more alert than the elderly man I just mentioned but as Becks said above, she clearly got used to a very light schedule while in lockdown and now that the world is reopening, she can’t match the energy she used to have pre-covid. She can also do more Zooming like she used to, not sure why she has to be in person all the time if she’s tired!
I mean, aside from having the best medical care ASAP, she’s definitely not working 12-14 hour days while doing chores or going over homework with kids. I don’t think she bathes the dogs either or goes to the supermarket or cooks. Is it any surprise she can do so called work appearances till her 90s? I’m 40 and I’m exhausted and I have no kids. Having said that she should have done a Phillip and just show up for 3-4 major events. Big mistake. Also big mistake assuming the Cambridges want to be like her. They probably think they have to do appearances till their 90s so why start “working hard” so soon?
When will the Cambridges finish preparing to take on duties? How many decades will they spend preparing. Clearly they are two duds who failed to launch.
I just want to note that the only member of that family who understood that monarchy can rise and fall on the whim of the people is now dead. For all of his many failings, I think Phillip really got that, having come from a family that was deposed. There’s no one left with a clear sense of that, there’s no one who understands that in a visceral way along the BRF now.
Also whatever the state of their marriage was at the end, the Queen lost her friend and confidant in Phillip. Even if he wasn’t living with her for a few years there at the end, he had been a constant presence in her life. That’s a lot for a person to process. She may be feeling really lonely knowing that he is just not longer around. And also it’s of course, a reminder of her mortality.
I am an American and I am not sure why the Royal Family exists and how it can continue if they don’t show up for all the face-to-face and bread and butter events? Will England be content with the remoteness and laziness or The Keenibridges?
When was the last time a monarch got away with being so invisible? I know that George VI and the Queen Mum worked. Did George V and Queen Mary work? In any event, it’s been almost 100 years since the royal family has been highly visible as a near-daily presence. I think Bulliam wants to be another Edward VII, who was known for dining out and his mistresses (to the best of my knowledge).
Queen Mary is the one who started the concept of engagements as we know them. Mostly because they had to change their name to Windsor from the German name and show the British people they were one of them and not like their German cousins.
Edward VIII wasn’t king for long, because he was known not to do much royal work either as Prince of Wales. In many ways he is a lot like William.
If more work is what is needed then don’t look to the Cambridges. They do the bare minimum and then go on secret vacations bec it’s too embarrassing to admit how carefree their lifestyle really is.
I don’t think the British monarchy is going away any time soon, but I can see it being greatly diminished in the future. A balcony full of royals should become a thing of the past, but the sovereign has a role in the government of the UK. Really, the people should really only have to support the Sovereign and his/her immediate family. The family should be raised to have a useful careers. Three “courts” all leaking against each other is ridiculous in this day and age.
Kind of jarring to hear a ‘source close to the queen’ say that she is ‘knackered’…. Given the etymology of the word, it’s not very proper or stately.
I am British and think the Queen is ill and not just being affected by old age. A couple of photos were issued today or yesterday of a video call she had and she is thinner and frailer than even a couple of weeks ago. Her tests at the hospital were “preliminary investigations” and why did she have to stay overnight?
I like Charles. I wonder how many of the people criticising him have led blameless lives? I do think he has worked though and has the best intentions.
As someone else said, I think he will use the Prince of Wales title over William. Also, he will use it to get William’s backing for Camilla to be Queen Consort. No way is Kate going to be Princess of Wales if Camilla is only Princess Consort. I also like Camilla. She has her causes like encouraging reading, osteoarthritis, the military, animal welfare and works hard for them. She made a speech tonight about men supporting women and speaking out about the way some men are treating women.
Like her or loathe her, HMEII, has been there so long she is one of the things that gives Britain her identity.