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EXCLUSIVE: After saying farewell to Prince Philip, the British royal family has put their full focus on his widow Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 95 on Wednesday – but don’t expect the grieving monarch to step down anytime soon.
"The queen will never abdicate, full-stop," True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News. "She made a commitment not just to this country, to the Commonwealth and her family, but also to God. Faith is very important to her. And when she became queen, she made that commitment in front of God as well. So she will do this job until she is no longer able to do this job."
While royal experts have insisted it is unlikely Elizabeth will ever abdicate given her lifelong commitment to public service, she has already started to turn over more responsibilities to her eldest son Prince Charles, 72, who is first in line to the throne. The process is likely to accelerate following Philip’s death.
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away on April 9 at age 99. He was laid to rest on Saturday. Even as Elizabeth mourned last week, the queen attended a ceremony marking the retirement of her Lord Chamberlain, who organizes all ceremonial events for the palace and continued to hold conversations with Commonwealth leaders.
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Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, was laid to rest on Saturday. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Bullen, an award-winning documentarian, has been making programs about the royal family for nearly 20 years and has worked closely with Charles for eight. He currently serves as executive producer for "Elizabeth at 95: The Invincible Queen," a special available on the streaming platform that explores how the British royal family has become one of the most influential corporate brands in the world.
He revealed Elizabeth has already handed over more royal duties to the younger members of the royal family.
"I think we can expect to see more of that," he explained. "If you see now, she doesn’t take on foreign trips. So the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall take on more of the foreign trips, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. And with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex living in California, we can expect to see Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex taking on more royal duties."
"The queen is progressively slowing down, but she’s definitely not stepping back," he added.
Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son, Prince Charles, is first in line to the British throne. (Getty Images)
Charles’ increased role began gradually when the queen began cutting back on long-haul flights, resulting in the Prince of Wales taking her place at the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka.
Then in 2017, he represented the queen at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony marking the end of World War I, laying the monarch’s wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph in London. It was the first time the queen hadn’t performed the solemn ritual, other than when she was pregnant or out of the country.
Not only has Charles taken on an increasing number of public engagements, but he has also been named the queen’s designated successor as head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 nations with links to the British Empire.
But for now, the longest-serving monarch in British history continues to reign.
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Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of United Kingdom, with her husband King George VI, and their children Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and her younger sister Princess Margaret. (AP)
"Her simple sense of duty has kept her going during good times and bad," said Bullen. "She dedicated her life to duty and she’s honored that promise all these years. I can’t think of anybody else who has delivered that level of service. I recently did a program with some of her closest friends and they’ve all said the same thing – her sense of duty and service is unparalleled."
"Throughout her entire reign, the queen has put others and her country before herself," he continued. "I’m not sure many of us can really admit that we put others first. We might like to think we do. We might certainly do it occasionally, but I would say for the whole of the queen’s reign, she’s put others before herself. And I think that’s a phenomenal tribute to an incredible woman."
The queen’s reign began with the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952. She was formally crowned on June 2, 1953.
During that ceremony, televised around the world, the queen promised to govern the United Kingdom and her other realms. Six years earlier, in a speech in South Africa, then-Princess Elizabeth made clear that her commitment was for life.
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Queen Elizabeth II on her way to her first State Opening of Parliament as monarch, 4th November 1952. (Photo by Douglas Miller/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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