The Queen is set to step back from royal duties as she prepares for a future without Prince Philip, a former BBC royal correspondent has claimed.
Her Majesty, 95, will instead see her children take on more responsibility within the firm, such as joining her for the official opening on parliament.
Speaking to the New York Times, Peter Hunt, who worked as at the BBC until 2017, said: ‘Fundamentally, the Queen will fade away gracefully
‘Covid has helped in the sense that it has accelerated what any sensible 95-year-old woman would want to do, which is not stand on your feet all day long’.
The Queen is set to step back from royal duties as she prepares for a future without Prince Philip, a former BBC royal correspondent has claimed. Queen is pictured at Prince Philip’s funeral
He added that while the Queen has returned to work following her husband’s death, she is unlikely to return to her hectic schedule of busy meetings, garden parties and receptions, and may only go to Buckingham Palace two days a week for meetings.
Instead she is likely to stay at Windsor Castle, where she has been in quarantine for most of the last year.
Prince Charles will likely take on more duties, including joining his mother in the state opening on parliament next month.
The monarch has overseen every one of the constitutional set pieces since taking the throne in 1952, apart from in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.
While the Queen has returned to work following her husband’s death, she is unlikely to return to her hectic schedule of busy meetings, garden parties and receptions, and may only go to Buckingham Palace two days a week for meetings. The Queen and Prince Philip are pictured in Windsor Castle’s quadrangle in June 2020 to mark the Duke’s 99th birthday
While the Duke of Edinburgh only missed the event once, 12 months before he retired in 2018, when he was hospitalised.
It comes as a royal expert claimed Prince Charles wants to slim the monarchy down in order to save money.
Royal biographer Angela Levin said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who currently live in an £11million mansion in California with their son Archie could be ‘cut’ from The Firm, with a shrunk down version just including Charles, Camilla, William, Kate Middleton, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte as senior royals.
The Queen will attend the State Opening of Parliament in May accompanied by her son Prince Charles, who has supported her at the ceremonial event since his father retired in 2018
Other royals could be encouraged to take on paid work to help support themselves – and may lose their titles and patronages.
Ms Levin said on talkRADIO: ‘Prince Charles has wanted for a very long time to cut the monarchy down to save costs and to make people be worth the money that they got from the taxpayer.
‘I imagine that might be when Harry and Meghan are ditched from being members of the Royal family.
A new version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography Finding Freedom is set to be released this summer, once more raking over royal rifts and addressing the couple’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview
‘I think the outer edge, which the Queen has wanted to keep together for a very long time for sentimental reasons, which at her age she didn’t really particularly want change which I think is understandable.
‘But he wants to change and I think he will do that.’
Rumours of Harry and Meghan facing the chop come as the couple’s biography Finding Freedom is set to be re-released this summer, once more raking over royal rifts and addressing the couple’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.
The first edition, by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, was published on August 11 last year and painted a flattering picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from when they met in 2016 to their departure from the Firm in early 2020.
It is now being updated with new chapters, covering their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, the allegations that Meghan, 39, bullied royal staff – which she denies – and the death of Prince Philip.
The new version, which is also expected to discuss their multi-million pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, their new life in California and the Queen’s decision to strip them of their royal patronages including Harry’s military roles, will go on sale on August 5.