It depends on the country. In most European monarchies nowadays there are provisions for regencies enshrined either in the constitution (as in Spain) or in statute (as in the UK).
In Britain the Regency Act 1937 is the relevant law. It provides that if the monarch is incapacitated or under the age of 18, the next adult in the line of succession becomes regent. So, for example, if the present Queen is incapacitated for some reason, the Prince of Wales becomes regent automatically. In the tragic hypothetical (which God forbid), the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and Prince William were all to go down together in a helicopter crash or such, Prince George would become king and the Duke of Sussex would be regent until he reached his 18th birthday. (At least according to the law. Given the messy family dynamics, the Duke might or might not ask Parliament to relieve him from that duty so he could remain in California. Hopefully it will not come up, but the point is Parliament would have to pass a law to change it.)
In Spain, if the King were to die while Infanta Leonor is still a minor (which, again, God forbid), Queen Letizia as her surviving parent would become Queen Regent under the Constitution. In this case it would actually first have to be determined whether Queen Letizia were in fact pregnant with a male child, as that would necessitate an interregnum with him succeeding upon his birth. This actually happened when Alfonso XII died leaving two daughters and a pregnant wife. Alfonso XIII (the present king's great-grandfather) succeeded to the throne at birth. If this happened today it would no doubt cause an uproar, and probably a constitutional crisis, over the gender inequity.
Generally, what are the circumstances for declaring a regency? Prior to her husband's death did Queen Elizabeth have plans in place for such an event? Do other monarchs, please?
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