"The Royal Family's Days are Numbered," Claims This Expert, Citing Poll Numbers

Queen Elizabeth is the second longest reigning royal in history and the longest-serving British monarch ever, reigning the UK for over 70 years. The royal question on everyone's mind? When will the beloved royal, who turned 96 in April and recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, step down and allow her son, Prince Charles, 73, to become King. And, once King Charles is reigning the land, what is going to happen to the monarchy? According to one Royal expert and Express journalist Robert Taylor the future of the House of Windsor is bleak. 

In a new editorial for the publication, Taylor speculates that while the monarchy has survived for more than a thousand years, their "days are numbered." He explains that he has "massive doubts" that when Prince Charles transitions into his role as King Charles, things will go smoothly. 

"I fear the monarchy will become a huge political football, like it already is in Australia and elsewhere," he writes. "I fear it will be threatened in a way that it hasn't been since 1649 when the king had his head chopped off and Britain became a republic for 11 years. I fear that King Charles (or whatever name he takes) will try his best but fail to inspire anything like the love and respect given to his mother. Most of all, I fear that the end is in sight, and that the monarchy's days are numbered." 

He cites statistics supporting his claim. "In the second half of the 20th century, the monarchy consistently attracted overwhelming support. Through ups and downs, failed marriages and the death of Diana, support remained at a whopping 75 percent of the population, easily drowning out the 17 percent who wanted a republic and the handful of others who couldn't care less," he points out. However, a decade ago, support started dropping. "According to the most recent poll, just 57 percent of people support the monarchy, with close to 30 percent now demanding its abolition," he says. And the younger you are, the less likely you are to be a royalist. In fact, as many 18–24-year-olds want an elected head of state as support the monarchy."

He attaches "zero blame to the Queen," citing Harry and Andrew who "have turned the monarchy into a media freak show" as the culprits. "Let's start with Andrew. It is no coincidence that the decline in support for the monarchy began at exactly the time that the BBC first reported his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – just over a decade ago. We British do not expect our Royals to be saints. But nor do we expect them to be quite so objectionable. 

And by maintaining his friendship with Epstein, refusing to apologise, failing to empathise with victims, giving the world's worst ever crisis interview, then rushing himself back into a public role about 30 years ahead of time, Andrew has proved himself a disgraceful, arrogant liability. 

The damage he has caused is incalculable." As for Harry, "his behaviour since he rushed off to America has been beyond egocentric," he writes. "Why he believes anyone should listen to his views on anything at all, now he's left the Royal Family, is unfathomable. "Anything he says, or writes, can only have one result: to damage the institution he spent his life representing. Perhaps he craves revenge. Perhaps Meghan has led him astray. Regardless, his every act and word worsen the outcome."

The "damage done by this witless duo looks beyond repair," Taylor maintains. "It is now unthinkable, I'd say impossible, that support for the monarchy will climb back to the 75 percent of just a decade ago. Far more likely it will continue downwards, with a further big dive after the Queen dies." He believes, like "mighty companies like Enron and Lehman Brothers, and massive empires like the Soviet Union" the Royal Family could fall. "And if the monarchy does crumble in the next few decades, we'll know who to blame. We will point the finger firmly at our freakish pair. They started the slide. That will be their legacy."