Palace says the public must assume that the Queen will not attend public events – due to mobility issues

by

The palace says the public must assume that the queen will not attend public events – after she ‘regrettably’ canceled engagements due to mobility issues

  • A new strategy will prompt the Queen to confirm her participation on the day of the event
  • A source said the public must assume the queen will not be at engagements
  • The 95-year-old monarch has had to miss out on engagements due to mobility issues
  • Prince Charles is now expected to continue appearances for the monarchy

By Kate Mansey for The Mail On Sunday

Published: | Up to date:

The public must begin to assume that the queen will not attend public events, a palace source told The Mail on Sunday.

In recent months, Buckingham Palace has been forced to make several last-minute announcements that the Queen has ‘regrettably’ withdrawn from engagements due to mobility issues.

Under a new strategy, helpers will now only confirm her participation on the day of an event.

“The premise must now be that the queen will not be present at events,” the source said. ‘If Her Majesty participates, it will be decided on the day and she will be accompanied by another member of the royal family.’

During her record-breaking 70-year reign, the Queen’s participation in most engagements has been planned for months and often announced publicly weeks in advance.

But the presence of the monarch – who marks his 96th birthday on Thursday – will now be a bonus rather than guaranteed. The decision means an even greater role for Prince Charles, under whose leadership – to a large extent – the monarchy actually continues.

Prince Charles (pictured with the Queen) is set to play an even bigger role in the monarchy, as a source says the public should not expect the Queen to appear at public events

The Queen has dealt with ongoing mobility issues, but has worked well during recent virtual engagements

The Queen has dealt with ongoing mobility issues, but has worked well during recent virtual engagements

On Thursday, Charles lined up for the Queen when she missed out on Maundy Service for the first time in 52 years. Although the Queen does not suffer from a new illness and has shown herself well during virtual engagements, continued mobility problems meant she was unable to attend the ceremony in St George’s Chapel near her apartments at Windsor Castle.

Her most recent public appearance came on March 29 at the Thanksgiving service for her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

But over the past six months, she has withdrawn from several other events that are historically central to her diary, including the Remembrance Sunday service at Cenotaph and the annual Commonwealth Service.

Auxiliaries hope the Queen will be able to attend some of the events organized to mark her 70th birthday in person, though it is expected that these will be few in number.

Charles welcomes families opening homes for refugees in a moving Easter message

‘This year I had the immense privilege of representing Her Majesty the Queen at the service until Maundy Thursday, where Christians remember that humility and sacrifice are the core of our faith.

At the service he attended with my mother so many times over the years, my father, the Duke of Edinburgh, always used to read the gospel, which tells how on the night of the Last Supper Jesus knelt before his disciples and washed himself. . their weary feet.

‘Our Lord told them that He did this to give them an example of how to care for and serve one another. It is a message they have never forgotten, and it is as challenging today as it was then.

‘Today, millions of people are displaced, tired of their journey from troubled places, wounded by the past, afraid of the future – and in need of a welcome, rest and kindness.

‘Over the last few years I have found myself crushed over the suffering of the innocent victims of conflict or persecution, some of whom have encountered and who have told me stories of unspeakable tragedies as they have been forced to flee their country and search. shelter far from home.

“But in the midst of all this sadness and inhumanity, it has been deeply moving to see how so many people are ready to open their homes to those in need, and how they have offered their time and resources to help those in need. in the face of such soul-destroying sorrow and adversity.

‘This Easter, as always, we are reminded of the Lord’s timeless example of goodness in the light of suffering, of courage in the face of fear, of faith in the light of despair. His light triumphed in the dark time. I pray with all my heart that his inspiring example will help us all dispel the darkness of the world. ‘

Advertising

Leave a Comment