Is the Queen handing her Royal duties over to Prince Charles?

Here's everything we know so far

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attends the VJ Day National Remembrance event, held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, on August 15, 2020 in Alrewas, England.
(Image credit: Molly Darlington - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

We're all heartbroken for the Queen after losing her husband of over 70 years. While the Queen steps away for a period of mourning, we can't help but wonder what this means for Prince Charles moving forward.

  • For eight days, Buckingham Palace will formally observe Prince Philip's death, following a mourning period for the Queen who will step away from her royal duties.
  • State affairs will also be halted in respect of the passing of the late Prince.
  • In other royal news, Prince Philip has passed aged 99 at Windsor Castle

Prince Philip passed away right before his 100th birthday with Buckingham Palace, confirming the news in an official statement.

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the statement. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."

What can we expect from the Royal Family now?

For the next eight days, Buckingham Palace will formally recognize the death of the Prince, while the Queen will enter her own state of mourning. This means that the Queen will temporarily be stepping away from her duties, and additionally, any state affairs will be put on hold out of respect for the late Prince.

30 days after the British Royal's death, the Queen will presumably return back to work. In terms of whether or not the Queen will be passing some of her royal duties on to her oldest son Prince Charles, no official announcement has been made. For now, what we do know is that he will be given Prince Philip's titles. E! News reported that the College of Arms notes that "these peerages are hereditary and on the death of His Royal Highness have passed to his eldest son [Prince Charles]." 

If Prince Charles does end up obtaining more responsibility, we may find out more in the coming weeks as the Queen takes a break from her Royal duties.

Rylee Johnston

Rylee is a U.S. news writer who previously worked for woman&home and My Imperfect Life covering lifestyle, celebrity, and fashion news. Before joining woman&home and My Imperfect Life, Rylee studied journalism at Hofstra University where she explored her interests in world politics and magazine writing. From there, she dabbled in freelance writing covering fashion and beauty e-commerce for outlets such as the TODAY show, American Spa Magazine, First for Women, and Woman’s World.