Queen paved the way for transition to Charles in her final years
- The increasingly frail monarch added to her oldest son’s public duties in recent years, particularly this year, which marked seven decades on throne
- She said she hoped Charles’ wife Camilla would be known as queen consort, and Charles took centre stage during Platinum Jubilee festivities
In retrospect, it seems as if she was preparing us all along.
Whether it was due to age, ill health or a sense that the end was near, Queen Elizabeth spent much of the last two years tying up loose ends, trying to make sure the family firm would keep ticking along after her death.
The transition began slowly, with the monarch turning over more public duties to her son and heir, now King Charles III, as she entered her twilight years. But it moved into overdrive in 2022 as Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne. First she expressed her wish that Charles’ wife, Camilla, be known as queen consort after her death, and then the future king took centre stage during four days of Platinum Jubilee festivities.
“Elizabeth II was preparing the ground for the succession,’’ historian Ed Owens said. “We saw a lot more of Charles in the last 10 years stepping in for his mother in a number of key situations at key public events. And that, I think, was partly intentional in that the monarch … wanted her son to sort of gravitate naturally into the limelight, to make this seem as best as possible as though it was a seamless transition.’’
Charles’ increased role began gradually when the queen began cutting back on long-haul flights, resulting in the then Prince of Wales taking her place at a 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka.
The queen became head of the Commonwealth, a grouping of independent countries with links to the former British Empire, when she ascended the throne and championed its role in world affairs throughout her reign.