# Why does the Queen of England hang on? Why can't she retire so Charles can be King? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112 "2006-08-03T00:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/21 "2006-08-03T20:13:25Z")
What’s the likelyhood that they’ll skip Chuckie altogether and ascend William to throne? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/22 "2006-08-03T20:25:37Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Interesting. I thought it had to be granted the way Philip’s title would have to be. I wonder if Philip ever asked… Per [Wikipedia, (the ever-reliable source)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla%2C_The_Duchess_of_Cornwall) Cammie will be known as HRH the Princess Consort upon Charles’ ascension. [/QUOTE] The Master speaks on [Prince Philip’s title](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a970214a.html): > [@](#): > > Eventually Albert was named prince consort. The title became so thoroughly identified with him that Prince Philip hasn’t dared to assume it, and he remains an ordinary old prince. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/23 "2006-08-03T20:26:38Z")
I get the impression that Charles realy isn’t up to the job. And Queen is waiting till Wiliam can take over. The reason for this feeling is the very small number of official and important activities that Charles is given. He rarely seems to get the Embasadorial role, just left to argue about architecture and play with his organic farming and Prince’s trust. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/24 "2006-08-03T20:31:34Z")
Other than looks, doesn’t William take after his father more than his mother? I thought he’s more like Charles in personality than Diana. Am I wrong about that? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/25 "2006-08-03T20:57:12Z")
Dear Lord, what’s with all of the Charles hate? Yes, he’s been involved in some embarrassing scandals but he has been the dutiful son, served in the Royal Navy, and has been tirelessly campaigning for conservation, pandas, good architecture… and he raised two sons after the tragic death of his ex-wife (and no, I don’t want to hear how he was involved in Di’s death). I was going to say “two fine sons,” but that’s up for debate. I think he’d be a fine king once Lizzie 2 leaves this mortal coil, but he probably won’t have long. For some reason I see him more likely abdicating for William. William does look like his mum but he has that same Mountbatten-ness about him… the hands behind the back, the mannerisms… ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/26 "2006-08-03T22:28:38Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] She doesn’t have to worry too much about Charles asasinating her for the throne. Modern forensics and the current life saving equipment, mean he would see jail if he had the inkling. [/QUOTE] Couldn’t he pardon himself? When the Crown Prince in Nepal wiped out his entire family a few years back, he was king for the two days he lived in hospital. I remember wondering who could do anything about the crime had he survived to reign. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/27 "2006-08-03T22:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=Belrix] What’s the likelyhood that they’ll skip Chuckie altogether and ascend William to throne? [/QUOTE] Zero I’d say. Charles has been waiting all his life to become King. I can’t see him giving up that right. And he’d have to agree to being passed over in the succession in favour of his son. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/28 "2006-08-04T02:39:25Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Couldn’t he pardon himself? When the Crown Prince in Nepal wiped out his entire family a few years back, he was king for the two days he lived in hospital. I remember wondering who could do anything about the crime had he survived to reign. [/QUOTE] Well if the Queen survived the murder attempt Charles wouldn’t be able to do anything. Parliament would very quicky pass an act removing him from the succesion. If she died then Charles would be deposed just like Charles II was. All parliament need do is pass an act declaring that Charles is no longet king and that the throne devolves to William. Charles doesn’t even need to sign the bill. Three or five Lords Commision will assent in his name (Victoria was the last monarch to sign a bill in person.). ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/29 "2006-08-04T04:16:23Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] (Victoria was the last monarch to sign a bill in person.). [/QUOTE] What about the [Canada Act, 1982](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Act#Enactment_of_the_Act)? ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/30 "2006-08-04T04:24:19Z")
Honestly, it blows my mind that Britain retains its royal system. I know we Americans are probably doing worse in terms of _actual_ freedom nowadays, but the symbolism of the monarchy seems so glaringly anti-democratic that it really just amazes me that it’s allowed to stick around. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/31 "2006-08-04T04:30:23Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] What about the [Canada Act, 1982](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Act#Enactment_of_the_Act)? [/QUOTE] Okay no _British_ monarch has signed a bill in person, but _Canadian_ monarchs have. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/32 "2006-08-04T05:57:13Z")
She _could_ retire, but no female monarch of Britain ever has, so why should she be the first? Who in the world would want Charles as king? (Not quite as bad as his racist old man, but he still comes across as petulant and vindictive in the stories I’ve read on him.) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/33 "2006-08-04T07:07:19Z")
[QUOTE=Belrix] What’s the likelyhood that they’ll skip Chuckie altogether and ascend William to throne? [/QUOTE] Unless Charles himself steps down and abdicates, absolutely none. People used to say the same thing about Queen Victoria-that she should have stepped aside and let her son be king, that Prince Albert Edward would make a terrible king. But Edward VII was a very popular and capable monarch. You never know-Charles might surprise us. **Lama Pacos** -you are aware that Britain is not the only monarchy, right? Off the top of my head, there’s Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/34 "2006-08-04T07:57:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] William does look like his mum but he has that same Mountbatten-ness about him… the hands behind the back, the mannerisms… [/QUOTE] William may look like his mother, but he sure has a good dose of Prince Philip’s genes too. [This photo](http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/images/Royal_F1_2b_education.jpg) of a young Philip could almost be mistaken for his grandson. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/35 "2006-08-04T08:35:48Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] **Lama Pacos** -you are aware that Britain is not the only monarchy, right? Off the top of my head, there’s Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. [/QUOTE] And in Spain there’s similar conversations now and then. The bets basically go two ways: A - Queen Sofia will tell her husband to be a good ol’ boy and abdicate once she’s got Leti all trained up, but not before. B - Like hell she will. For some reason, it didn’t really come up until we got the Crown Prince married off… (Yes, the King is Juan Carlos and the Consort is Sofia, but anybody who’s wondered about who’s got the brains there says it’s her). ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/36 "2006-08-04T08:51:18Z")
The Queen of England is her government’s most experienced advisor, who’s had an entire lifetime to practice the art of statesmanship. (Stateswomanship? Is there a gender-neutral term?) The existence of at least one permanent advisor, experienced, knowledgeable and apolitical, is a very good idea that should be emulated elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/37 "2006-08-04T09:04:04Z")
I think there’s a misconception in this thread about the nature of royalty. Elizabeth isn’t the Queen because she earned the job or because she won a contest. She didn’t make herself a monarch, God did. Nothing she does can interfere with His will. Charles can sit back and enjoy the ride. If he ever ascends the throne, it will only be because God wills it. It’s not a meritocracy and it doesn’t go to the person who most deserves it. The process of succession is as removed from such notions as is possible. It’s that way on purpose. Royals don’t have impressive personal qualities, they have bloodlines to other royals in antiquity. If the subjects got to pick the new monarch, the job would probably go to someone like David Beckham or Eric Clapton. The ruled aren’t wise enough to choose properly, so they’re not part of the process. I’m not saying this is a good thing, just that that’s how it is. ---
**Author:** ![Sparrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/38 "2006-08-04T10:55:32Z")
She can’t retire, any more than your mother or father could retire from being your parent. She’s Queen till she dies. She just IS. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/39 "2006-08-04T11:06:07Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] I want Liz to hang on, break the record, and hand it straight to King William V. [/QUOTE] Great, another King William… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112/40 "2006-08-04T11:16:47Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Seconded and moreover I don’t want that horsefaced ugly Camilla Parker Bowels as queen. Charlie boy can’t be a full shilling fancying that old boot, face like a blind blacksmiths thumb she has. [/QUOTE] No doubt you know more about her than I do, so perhaps she has an unpleasant personality, but I see nothing wrong with her appearance. Plus which, Diana really wasn’t all that. Do I recall correctly that she applied to a modeling agency, before she met Chuck, and was turned down? At any rate, it was her charm (not to mention the best stylists and so forth) that made her so revered, not her intrinsic looks. Does Camilla look that much worse than the average female Briton her age? I’d wager she looks better than some, at least. **krokodil** : So you don’t vote for kings, is that it? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-queen-of-england-hang-on-why-cant-she-retire-so-charles-can-be-king/367112.md?page=3)