Palace says the public should assume the Queen will not attend public events – after she “unfortunately” canceled her engagements due to mobility issues
- A new strategy will see the Queen confirm her presence on the day of events
- A source said the public should assume the Queen will not be in engagements
- The 95-year-old king had to miss posts due to mobility issues
- Prince Charles is now expected to continue to appear in the monarchy
A palace source told The Mail on Sunday that the public should start assuming the Queen will not attend public events.
In recent months, Buckingham Palace has had to make several last-minute announcements that the Queen has ‘unfortunately’ pulled out of her engagements due to mobility issues.
Under a new strategy, assistants will now only confirm her attendance on the day of the event.
“The assumption should now be that the Queen will not be present at the events,” the source said. If Her Majesty does attend, that will be set 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 most engagements have been planned for months and often publicly announced weeks in advance.
But the presence of the Queen – who celebrates her 96th birthday on Thursday – will now be a bonus, not a guarantee. The decision means a greater role for Prince Charles, under whose leadership – to a large extent – the monarchy effectively continues.
Prince Charles (pictured with the Queen) is set to have a bigger role within the monarchy as one source says the public should not expect the Queen to appear at public events
The Queen has been dealing with constant mobility issues, but she looked good during recent virtual posts
On Thursday, Charles stood up for the Queen when she missed Maundy’s service for the first time in 52 years. While the Queen is not suffering from a new illness and has appeared well during virtual engagements, persistent mobility issues mean she cannot attend the ceremony at St George’s Chapel near her apartment in Windsor Castle.
Her last public appearance came on March 29 at a mass of thanksgiving for her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.
But over the past six months, she has pulled out of several other events of historical interest in her diary, including the Memorial’s Sunday Commemoration Service and the annual Commonwealth Service.
Aides are hoping the Queen will be able to attend some of the events organized to celebrate her 70th anniversary in person, although it is expected that there will be few.
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