Royal Plans Raise Questions About How Queen Elizabeth's Death Will be Handled by Family

As of late, Buckingham Palace has been revealing more plans about what will take place once Prince Charles takes over for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. One of the biggest concerns about the succession revolves around how the royal family will handle the monarch's eventual passing. According to Page Six, members of the royal family are already planning how they will tackle life once Charles becomes King. 

Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty magazine, said that individuals within the royal family have been more focused on the succession plans ever since the queen started experiencing further health issues this past fall. He went on to say that the palace's "transition" plans are currently in the works as are plans for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, which will take place this July. Little added that plans for when Charles becomes the next monarch have been in place for some time now and that there are "secret arrangements" already in place. 

"The transition has been planned behind the scenes for quite a few years," Little said. "Unlike [the queen's father] King George VI, who died quicker than expected and with not a lot of preparation, this is well mapped out and orchestrated." These details have come amid the Queen's reported permanent move to Windsor Castle and her ongoing health issues. She has reportedly been living at the castle since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she traveled to the location with her husband Prince Philip. He died in April 2021 at the age of 99. Even though Elizabeth will reside at Windsor Castle on a permanent basis, Charles and his wife, Camilla, are expected to call Buckingham Palace their headquarters once he ascends to the throne. 

"I have been hearing for years that Charles had no intention of living at Buckingham Palace, and that he wanted to open it more the public … The idea was that it would be used for official events, but not as a residence," Little said. "But of late, the line seems to be that it definitely will be the London residence of the sovereign because it's the symbol of the British monarchy." Page Six noted that Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence for British monarchs since 1837, which is when Queen Victoria was on the throne.