Queen Elizabeth is turning 95 soon, but don’t expect her to step down, sources tell People, amid whispers that she could turn the throne over to her son Prince Charles after her husband Prince Philip‘s death. She actually returned to public duties Tuesday, according to reports. She met with William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel, and hosted a ceremony to mark his retirement from the position of Lord Chamberlain. The Chamberlain oversees all public royal ceremonies and engagements, including royal weddings, state visits and the Queen’s famous garden parties; he has been replaced by ormer MI5 chief Andrew Parker.
A former aide tells People of her plans to be accompanied by family members at future engagements: “Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on. She understands that she has a job to do, and Philip would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life.”
A close royal insider adds, “She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him.”
