A rush of bets came in on whether Queen Elizabeth will abdicate in her annual Christmas Day speech, prompting bookies to suspend betting on the situation.
Leading bookmaker Coral announced the suspension after the flurry of bets on Wednesday.
The firm was offering odds of 10-1 that the Queen would announce a decision to step down, effectively handing over the throne to Prince Charles.
“Throughout the year there has been major speculation about the Queen’s future but today’s gamble has really caught us by surprise,” Coral’s Nicola McGeady told the Daily Mail.
“As far as we are concerned there’s no smoke without fire when bets like this come through all in succession, so we have decided to be safe rather than sorry and pull the plug on the market.”
The Palace refused to comment but did highlight pledges that the Queen made in her speeches over the year, including in her 21st birthday speech in 1947.
“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 then.
The Queen, 88, will become Britain’s longest-serving Monarch next year if she does not abdicate.
The current longest reign is Queen Victoria, who was on the throne for 63 years and seven months.
Likewise, Charles is the longest-waiting successor, having waited for 63 years.
The long wait has not gone unnoticed--Spanish King Juan Carlos of Spain announced his abdication earlier this year, telling courtiers that he handed over power to Crown Prince Felipe, 46, become he didn’t want Felipe to come into power when he was “withering” like Charles.
There have also been rumors recently that the Queen will somehow bypass Charles in favor of his eldest son Prince William, though those are also unverified.
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