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| Queen Elizabeth II horseriding at Windsor Castle, Berkshire |
As the Queen marked the 61st anniversary of her coronation by going for a gentle pony ride in Windsor today, King Juan Carlos of Spain announced his abdication after 40 years on the throne.
His decision is unlikely to have been welcomed by the Queen, and nor will it have weakened her resolve to carry on as monarch for the rest of her life, according to constitutional historians.
The British monarchy, unlike Spain’s, is a sacerdotal system, meaning Kings and Queens are consecrated during a religious ceremony in which they swear before God to carry out their various duties. Edward VIII abdicated before he had been crowned, meaning he never took the Coronation Oath, thus avoiding a constitutional crisis.
The Spanish crown, in contrast, is a far more ceremonial position; monarchs are crowned, but not consecrated, meaning they are not bound by a religious oath to carry on for life.
The historian Hugo Vickers said that unlike King Juan Carlos, who is in poor health and has faced a slump in his popularity, the Queen, who is 88, is "firing on all cylinders". » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Monday, June 02, 2014
