What should be a year of celebration for Queen Elizabeth is turning into anything but.
For some time now, Queen Elizabeth's health has been cause for concern.
Between hospital stays, using Prince Philip's cane to help her walk, and her recent comments
about not being able to move, the queen's recent COVID diagnosis has many worrying about
what comes next.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement,
"The queen has today tested positive for COVID.
Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties
at Windsor over the coming week."
The queen's COVID-19 diagnosis is a shock to many, and comes on the heels of other major
royal news.
Not only has Prince Andrew been in the spotlight again, but Prince Charles, too, as he deals
with his second battle with COVID-19 and the recent allegations that the Prince offered
royal honors and patronage for donations to his charity.
This COVID scare comes days after the queen announced she wished for Camilla, Duchess
of Cornwall to be called Queen Consort when Charles ascends the throne — a decision
that the British public has not responded to very lightly.
But with so much open planning for the future, worries about how much time the queen has
left are growing.
No one believes Queen Elizabeth will ever step down.
However, they wouldn't be surprised if a regent had to step in and do her duties for her.
What happens next is all down to how the queen's illness progresses.
Queen Elizabeth II remains the longest monarch to reign in all of British history.
With the queen recently celebrating her 70th anniversary of ascending to the throne, people
have begun to question the likelihood of her becoming incapacitated.
At 95 years old, the queen's health has had a trying past year.
In October 2021, her doctors advised her to rest and take a break from all official duties,
according to the Evening Standard.
Buckingham Palace shared a statement saying,
"The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based
duties during this time, including some virtual audiences, but not to undertake any official
visits."
While this break was brief, it made people realize there could be a much more prolonged
rest sometime in the near future.
With the queen now testing positive for COVID-19, concerns grow even further.
"The Royal Family tend to be much more private about their medical matters."
But what exactly would it take for her to be considered entirely incapacitated?
Incapacitated isn't a term used lightly.
In order for the queen to be deemed incapacitated, there must first be medical evidence, according
to British law.
She must be judged, quote, "by reason of infirmity of mind or body incapable for the time being
of performing the royal functions" by any three of a short list of high-ranking government
officials, including the monarch's spouse.
Which leaves the question that if such drastic lengths were reached, who would take over
in the queen's place?
If the queen can no longer do her duties, either in the short or long-term, the Regency
Acts of 1937 and 1953 would come into play.
In cases of short-term illness, the sovereign is able to appoint someone to carry out her
duties until she recovers.
However, if she's incapacitated, she's unable to ask someone to stand in for her.
If this happens, the job would fall to the person who is next in line to the throne — in
this case, Prince Charles.
This doesn't mean Prince Charles would ascend to the throne, though.
Instead, he would be named his mother's regent and would perform the duties of the sovereign
until the queen's health situation changes.
The queen's successor isn't the only element of her passing that the United Kingdom is
prepared for.
According to a plan shared by Politico, the queen's passing would be titled "D-Day," and
there are preparations in place, to, quote, "manage unprecedented crowds and travel chaos
that could see, in the words of one official memo, London become 'full' for the first time
ever."
As Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip was one of the people able to determine if
the queen was incapacitated.
However, since his death last year, the determination is now up to Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab,
House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, the Lord Chief Justice, or the Master of Rolls.
For now, we wait and see what happens next.
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