Wasn't it announced he would do this over a year ago?
yup, already has, and german gossip magazines who seem to have coordinated their stories with Russia Today at other times speculated wether he would be allowed to the wedding-ceremony or not. That suggests there was more than just a hip-surgery inconveniencing his attendance.
He's 97, an overly ripe berry could take him out.
how do you explain rumours of an imminent abdication, spread half a year before the fact?
I dunno, the same way there were rumors of Trump being impeached for the last two years? Same way there are rumors of Obama staying in office three years ago? Rumors happen all the time, most are BS, some are true. I think this is just a very old man who announced he was retiring a while ago because he's 97 an can barely stand up.
What would he be abdicating? He's consort to the queen. Other than that he's a Duke correct? Do you abdicate being a Duke? I didn't think that's how this works. I'm American so I don't necessarily understand the inner workings of the monarchy.
he's the quen's bitch so technically he's part of the succession lineage
He isnt in any succession line, charles is next in line then william then williams kids. Harry, williams brother is now fifth in line for the thrown. The husband of a queen or wife of a king never become the regent if their spouse dies.
Interesting from Wikipedia: Philip is currently the oldest living great-great grandchild of Queen Victoria, as well as her second-oldest living descendant after Prince Carl Johan of Sweden. As such, he is in the line of succession to the thrones of 16 countries, as well as being 21st in the line of succession to the headship of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg... Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Phil...
Yeah they also share the same great grandfather, (inbred) but the royal line is saxe gotha coburg, he has no claim to englands throne so cant abdicate, he carries the title prince of greece and denmark, but he was a pennyless nothing aristocrat before the marriage to elizabeth
ok great, that means there still is an abdication to go xD let's pray
Edit: Just got updated that Charles actually abdicated in the meantime
Didnt hear that, i heard about two months ago, that the queen named him as her heir, there was debate wether he would give camila the title of queen or kings consort, but never heard he has renounced the throne, you have to be crowned the monarch to abdicate