Queen Elizabeth Will ‘Step Down Next Year’ & Give Power To Princes Charles, Royal Biographer Claims

The British monarchy might be in for a shake-up next year, The Daily Mail reported. According to royal biographer Robert Jobson, Queen Elizabeth II will likely “step down next year” after she turns 95 on April 21, and hand over the monarchy to Prince Charles.

The author made the comments during an appearance on The Royal Beat and was supported by Newsweek Royal Reporter Jack Royston.

“I think she won’t want to, but realistically she will get to a point where she has handed over everything to Charles and then how do you look your son in the eye and tell him he is not going to be King?” Royston said.

Jobson also used the interview to claim that Phillip is a key part of the Queen’s decision to have the Coronation televised.

Speculation around the Queen stepping down is not new. MyLondon previously suggested that she might step back from the royal family if she gets to a point where she is too old or unwell and can no longer perform her duties. The publication also noted that the Queen could not legally appoint Charles to be Prince Regent when she turns 95 — an appointment that would provide him the power and responsibility of the king without an official designation.

Regardless, the piece noted that reporting from The Daily Mail suggested that the Queen has told members of her inner circles that she would call for the passing of legislation — the Regency Act — that would provide her son with power even while she is still living.

The recent comments come just before the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s infamous interview on BBC’s Panorama in 1995.

“That period between the separation announcement [of Charles and Diana], she [Diana] actually was on the ascendancy of getting everything she wanted,” Jobson said of the event on The Royal Beat.

“But she did this [Panorama] and I think she thought she was more powerful than the Queen. The Queen thought enough was enough and the shutters came down.”

Per The Independent, the November 20, 1995 interview saw the first wife of Charles speak candidly about her marriage, including her bout with depression, the pair’s infidelity, and the “inner workings of the royal family.” The appearance became notorious for pulling back the curtain on the “unhappiness” within the monarchy and was watched by 23 million people on the night it aired.

The revelations mirror the royal drama that has surrounded Prince Harry and his withdrawal from the family after his marriage to Meghan Markle.