abdicate the throne

オランダの女王がこの春に退位されますが、なぜイギリスの女王は身を引かないのかについて書かれています。
Why Queen Elizabeth isn't stepping down

Queen Beatrix, 75, of the Netherlands will abdicate the throne this spring, passing the crown to her eldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 45.

Explaining her decision to her Dutch subjects, she said, "It was not because the office was too heavy for me, but because the responsibility for this country should lie in the hands of a new generation."

Some wonder why Queen Elizabeth II, an octogenarian, hasn't made a similar concession to youth. But the modern British monarchy is founded on a different set of principles. As much as Britons might enjoy a change of pace at Windsor Castle, something faster and fresher, the monarchy in Britain is not about novelty. It's about staying the course, resolve and perseverance.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/31/opinion/chernock-queens-abdication/index.html?hpt=us_mid
「退位する・身を引く」は見出しにあるようにstep downは頭の中にあります。記事には他の表現があり、特に王・女王の位から身を引くときにはabdicate(“to give up the position of being king or queen” LDOCE)を使うことができます。abdicate the throneという表現をしっかりと押さえておきたいと思った次第です。(Minnesota)