• Slide 1 of 12: Recently, The Daily Mail floated a titillating headline asking, "Is the Queen Preparing to Abdicate?" As it turns out, the story was really about rumors the Queen plans to appoint Prince Charles as "Prince Regent."  However, British history makes clear that appointing a regent is not equal to abdicating. Further, the Queen isn't even legally empowered to appoint a regent, which happens only under very specific circumstances as outlined in the Regency Act of 1937. Find out the current line of succession to the British crown.
  • Slide 2 of 12: While some royal families have a tradition of monarchs stepping down after he or she reaches a certain age (such as the royal family of the Netherlands), there's no such tradition in the United Kingdom. In fact, abdication has been said to go against informal rules of the monarchy's set-up. Indeed, it was considered a constitutional crisis when Prince Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson.
  • Slide 3 of 12: On her 21st birthday, Queen Elizabeth II promised England she'd be their Queen for life. "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," she said. That's a big promise, but she's kept to it for 69 years now.
  • Slide 4 of 12: Experts on the monarch such as Sarah Bradford, author of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Our Times, confirm the Queen feels that reigning is her life's mission and duty. "She's never even contemplated abdication," Bradford told The Week. Here are some myths about the royal family that it's time to stop believing.
  • Slide 10 of 12: After the late Prince Philip retired from his duties (including public events) in 2017, the Queen was accompanied at many public events by her son and grandsons. With the Queen in her late 90s and the recent passing of Prince Philip, it's likely that more and more of the public events will be attended only either by Prince Charles, or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton). Take a look at these rarely seen photos of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. 
  • Slide 12 of 12: The government has already performed a dress rehearsal for the Queen's death, according to the Express (she is over 90!). "Ministers practiced the ground-breaking protocol for the very first time and even gave it the code name London Bridge," and the first day after the Queen's death has been given the code name D1. It certainly doesn't sound like there are any plans afoot for the Queen not to be Queen at the time of her passing. In fact, it seems that quite the opposite is true. Next, don't miss these 50 things you didn't know about the royals. Sources: The Daily Mail: "Charles the Prince Regent?" Royal.uk: "Queen Charlotte" Legislation.gov.uk: "Regency Act 1937" Royal.uk: "21st Birthday Speech" The Week: "Will Prince Charles be King?" The Guardian: "Let Queen Elizabeth reign until the end" The Daily Mail: "Charles 65th Birthday" NowToLove.com.au: "Charles Will Never Be King" Express.co.uk: "The Queen Could Step Down"
 Recently, The Daily Mail floated a titillating headline asking, “Is the Queen Preparing to Abdicate?” As it turns out, the story was really about rumors the Queen plans to appoint Prince Charles as “Prince Regent.”  However, British history makes clear that appointing a regent is not equal to abdicating. Further, the Queen isn’t even legally empowered to appoint a regent, which happens only under very specific circumstances as outlined in the Regency Act of 1937. Find out the current line of succession to the British crown.

Abdicating? Nah.

Recently, The Daily Mail floated a titillating headline asking, “Is the Queen Preparing to Abdicate?” As it turns out, the story was really about rumors the Queen plans to appoint Prince Charles as “Prince Regent.”  However, British history makes clear that appointing a regent is not equal to abdicating. Further, the Queen isn’t even legally empowered to appoint a regent, which happens only under very specific circumstances as outlined in the Regency Act of 1937. Find out the current line of succession to the British crown.