Edward VII took the throne at the age of 59 on his mother’s death in January 1901. He was on the throne for just nine years before his death at the age of 68 in 1910. That is the fate of the son of a long-living mother. Edward VII’s mother was Queen Victoria who reigned from 1837 to 1901, the longest reign in English history.
The present Queen is celebrating 50 years on the throne. Her son, Charles in now 53. It may well be that he shares the fate of Edward VII. He might, indeed, share the fate of the Black Prince, who in the 14th century died before his long reigning father, Edward III, the only other monarch to rule for more than 50 years – from 1327 (when he was just 17) to 1377.
The Queen, now aged 76, in an address to both Houses of Parliament has declared, in suitably indirect language, that she intends to continue reigning and not to abdicate in favour of her son so that he might get a chance of being monarch in the prime of life. She said, “”I would like, above all, to declare my resolve to continue, with the support of my family, to serve the people of this great nation of ours to the best of my ability.”
According to opinion polls, a majority think she should retire in a few years. A poll in the Daily Mirror found that 53 per cent of Britons thought she should abdicate in the next few years. A greater majority, 66 per cent, thought that if she did continue to death that the succession should skip a generation to Prince Charles son, Prince William.
Those expressing these views are quire wrong. Moreover, their opinion is irrelevant. Britain is a constitutional monarchy, not a democracy. Monarchs do not abdicate and generations are not skipped just because a majority think that that should be the case.
Under the belief system in Britain, the Queen is anointed by God, not the people, and she reigns by divine right. Majority opinion has nothing to do with it. The Queen is right to put aside all thought of abdication. She should remain monarch until she dies, even if she lives – like her mother until she is 101. And if Prince Charles is 74 at the time and destined to live only a short time, he should take the throne. That is what monarchy is all about. The throne is not taken by whomever the populace wants, but by whomever happens to be born in the line of succession. Under the theory of monarchy, that is God’s will.
And Australia, as a constitutional monarchy with whomever happens to be monarch of Britain as our monarch must accept that – unless the people change our Constitution and do away with the monarchy.