Queen Elizabeth just celebrated her 70 years on the throne. However, one royal expert raised concerns about her health, saying she is fading right into the public's eyes.
Queen Elizabeth Has Changed And Is Reportedly Fading Away In Public
News.com.au's royal expert Daniela Elser penned an op-ed about the Queen Friday after seeing the photos of the British monarch greeting New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley in the U.K. last week. In the photo, the 96-year-old monarch was wearing a yellow dress as she smiled and shook hands with the Australian politician inside Windsor Castle.
Elser noted that the photo was unremarkable until one compared it to pictures in June 2021 where Her Majesty donned the same outfit when she met former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
"Her very mysterious health woes seem to have become dramatically worse," Elser wrote.
She noted that the Queen first appeared to be using a walking stick in October, but in just a year, her "episodic mobility problems" had pushed her to reportedly only make a total of 27 minutes in the four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this month.
"How did things get so bad, so fast? How in a year have we seen the Queen gone from riding horses, walking her dogs and driving her Range Rovers to her now reportedly using a wheelchair on occasion?" she asked.
"What Thursday’s photo shows is that Her Majesty would appear to be fading away before our very eyes and yet Buckingham Palace is trying to stick to their increasingly tired ‘nothing to see here’ line."
Elser agreed that the Queen "deserves dignity and privacy." However, she felt that the "current paradigm is doing the monarchy no favours."
Queen Elizabeth Urged To Abdicate
Elser has weighed in on the Queen's health and capacity to still lead the monarchy. The senior royal is already in her advanced years, and Elser believed that it is time for the Queen to step down and pave the way for the heir apparent, Prince Charles.
The royal commentator is aware that the Queen promised to serve the monarchy until her last breath. However, Elser felt that the Queen canceling engagements in the past months would not look good for the institution she is leading.
"While her view that abdication or bowing out of the job has always been one of horror and extreme distaste, her refusal to even countenance stepping down is going to start severely impacting the monarchy," Elser wrote on News.com.au.
"For one thing, her ongoing health issues are already proving a huge distraction, with the flurry of reporting and speculation every time she cancels an event detracting from whatever do-goodery her children and grandchildren are up to, you know, the meat and potatoes of the royal game."
According to Elser, the Queen's absence would give the monarchy a "symbolism of a sovereign who is largely invisible and tucked away from view" instead of "projecting strength and continuity." Thus, people would probably see the crown as weak and uncertain.
Elser also mentioned how the Queen's support and presence would help Prince Charles' leadership if she were still around when the Prince of Wales takes over the throne.
"If the Queen was to pass the baton, or the Imperial State Crown in fact, to her 73-year-old son, it would start his reign on a totally different note, one of positivity and joy and with him ruling with her blessing – not out of necessity," Elser added. "In this scenario, when Her Majesty did sadly pass away, it would hugely mitigate the upheaval and psychological trauma which her death will trigger in the UK and the Commonwealth."
Should Queen Elizabeth abdicate or not?
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Pop Culture