Queen Elizabeth II faces calls to step down amid concerns over her 'frail' health

Queen Elizabeth II faces growing concerns about her capacity to continue with her public duties and is being urged to let Prince Charles take over now so she can prioritise her health.

Daily Mirror Associate Editor Kevin Maguire believes it is time for the British monarch to allow a new royal to lead. He said it would not be right for her to keep working given her age and her recent health concerns.

He cited Her Majesty's absence at the Commonwealth Day service on Monday. She had pulled out of the annual event reportedly because she can no longer stand the long hours of sitting and the travel from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey. She had instead asked Prince Charles to lead the service on her behalf.

"We saw yesterday, as we saw with Cop26 in Glasgow, the big environment conference, she can't fulfill those public duties," Maguire said in an interview on "Jeremy Vine on 5" on Tuesday.

He added, "She's 96, she's clearly frailer and I think monarchists should think that it would be better for the monarchy if she stepped aside and allow somebody else to come along. Nobody else would get to keep a job they couldn't do, particularly not a job which comes with £86 million a year in the sovereign grant."

Maguire thinks it would be best if Queen Elizabeth II abdicates now while Prince Charles is still fit enough to fulfill his future role as king. He said it would be wise "to make way for somebody else" and "resolve this now with her" and not wait until she gets to 101 years old like the Queen Mother.

"So I know it's very delicate how you discuss somebody's lifespan, but the Queen could be here for a number of years before she shuffled off this mortal coil. Or Prince Charles is what 73, we're going to get into the same position when he becomes king because he's going to be so elderly he's going to be the pensioner King," he explained.

Maguire said Queen Elizabeth II should step aside now. He warned of Prince Charles, "there will come a time, pretty rapidly, when he won't be able to fulfill his duties."