Matters of State

Matters of State

Articles now appearing in the media calling for the Queen to abdicate due to her mobility problems completely fail to understand both Her Majesty herself and the meaning of the Coronation Oath she took 69 years ago.

At her coronation, and before, the Queen swore an oath dedicating herself to serving her people without fear or favour. Unlike politicians who reject their sworn or affirmed commitments of allegiance immediately they take it, in a similar manner to the election promises they make, the Queen has never and will never break her oath.

As it is, Her Majesty has passed on a lot of her active duties to the Prince of Wales as Heir Apparent and to her grandson, the Duke of Cambridge but she remains mentally agile and continues to receive and study the papers contained in the Boxes of State and provides her expertise to her ministers both in the United Kingdom and, when asked, throughout the Realms. She is able to walk with the aid of sticks and is again beginning to appear in public.

In the event she feels she cannot continue, she will not abdicate and thus break her oath but will, instead, declare a Regency with the Prince of Wales becoming Prince Regent. However, this does not appear to be likely at this stage.

No monarch who has been crowned has ever abdicated. (James II was declared to have abdicated in 1688 by the Parliament, but he never did so himself.) Edward VIII was never crowned and thus never took the oath.

It is important that media print and report on such matters correctly particularly as we are nearing the end of one of the greatest reigns in history.

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