Queen Elizabeth II celebrates birthday without the Duke of Edinburgh

Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth II who turns 95 today, Wednesday, but she will be celebrating without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his great support, in her almost 70 years as head of the British State.

Due to the pandemic, the queen will remain in Windsor Castle, where the solemn funeral of the duke took place last Saturday.

With the death of Prince Philip, her confidante and adviser, the Queen will now continue alone the final years of her reign, one of the most important and the longest in the history of the United Kingdom.

Respected and admired by the people, almost to the point of devotion, the queen is moving through a period of transition with the monarchy, which began a few years ago when she stopped traveling abroad, reducing her official commitments due to her age.

Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and the Duke of Cambridge, second in line of succession, have filled the void created by the Queen and both now represent the sovereign on official visits abroad or at many of her commitments in the UK.

According to experts, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, and the withdrawal of Prince Harry from the monarchy may accelerate the transition, although the Queen has often said that she is unlikely to abdicate.

The constitutional expert Robert Hazell, from University College London, said yesterday that “the queen has dedicated her entire life to public service and has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating. She is incredibly hard-working, but it is possible that she will continue to decrease her activities gradually “.

This will allow Prince Charles and other members of the royal family to assume “other public commitments, while she fulfils the functions that only the monarch can do,” Hazell said, referring to the opening of Parliament and other State Occasions.

However, In case the queen cannot assume her duties “because she is physically or mentally ill, then Prince Charles can become the regent under the Regency Act of 1937,” he added.

The withdrawal of the Dukes of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, from royal duties more than a year ago and the controversial interview that the couple gave to Oprah Winfrey, last March, have both caused a crisis in the royal family.

In that interview, recorded in their Los Angeles home, the couple accused the monarchy of racism and of failing to provide Meghan Markle with the help that she said she had asked for when she felt almost suicidal impulses.

Frictions between 36-year-old Prince and his father were clearly visible at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, as no dialogue was seen between them at the end of the service.

Although the Princes William and Harry spoke on the day of the funeral, the media has said that the Duke of Sussex will return to the United States this week without having resolved the problems with his family .

However, the Daily Telegraph said this Wednesday that Prince Harry met on Saturday, after the funeral, with his father, brother and the Duchess of Cambridge at Frogmore Cottage, the house located in Windsor where he lived before moving to the USA.

According to the press, the four spoke for two hours, but without any real progress, after Prince Charles said that he did not accept that his youngest son could use a television interview to air the family’s problems.