A BBC correspondent reveals The Queen will ‘fade away’ from royal duties following Prince Philip's death

But what does this actually mean?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

But what does this actually mean?

Despite the Queen's two-week mourning period for her late husband, Prince Philip, coming to an end, we won’t be expecting to see HRH for a while.

That's because today, Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, explained to the New York Times that 'fundamentally, the Queen will fade away gracefully' following her husband's passing.

Prince Charles is expected to take on a bigger role in the monarchy, stepping in for the Queen on larger royal engagements. The reason for this, Peter Hunt explains, is that 'Covid has helped in the sense that it has accelerated what any sensible 95-year-old woman would want to do, which is not stand on your feet all day long.'

Prince Charles is now placed under the title of the monarch’s official 'consort'. We are expected to see him begin this role on May 11th, when he is due to accompany his mother to the State opening of Parliament.

While the Queen will slowly return back to work, it's likely she won't be taking on as busy a schedule as previously. Peter Hunt predicts that she will only return back to Buckingham Palace twice a week.

Just like his father, Prince William is also going to be stepping up and taking on more duties, to help and aid his grandmother.

But don’t worry: The Mirror reports that Charles was guided by Prince Philip prior his death. He taught Charles how to look after the Queen and, further, how to be the head of the royal family. With that knowledge, it looks even more likely that, under the Duke of Edinburgh’s guidance, Charles will make a strong leader for the monarchy.

Many still speculate as to whether Charles will ever be King.

But as he has now been designated as the Royal Consort, it's likely that he will, instead of passing the Crown straight on to William, as rumours speculate.

According to The Daily Mail, a royal source believes that once Charles is on the throne, he will 'slim down' the monarchy.

A royal biographer, Angela Levin, has said on TalkRadio that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in California, will be the first to be "cut".

She added: ''Prince Charles has wanted for a very long time to cut the monarchy down to save costs and to make people be worth the money that they got from the taxpayer''.

Viewing figures reveal that Prince Philip's funeral was watched by 13.5 million people world-wide. Many found it difficult and emotional to watch the Queen sat on her own, as she mourned the loss of her late husband, just five days before her 95th birthday.

Reporting by Rosie Grant

Ally Head
Senior Health, Sustainability and Relationships Editor

Ally Head is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health, Sustainability, and Relationships Editor, nine-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner. Day-to-day, she works across site strategy, features, and e-commerce, reporting on the latest health updates, writing the must-read health and wellness content, and rounding up the genuinely sustainable and squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*. She's won a BSME for her sustainability work, regularly hosts panels and presents for events like the Sustainability Awards, and saw nine million total impressions on the January 2023 Wellness Issue she oversaw. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.