Palace says public should assume Queen will not attend public events – due to mobility issues

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Palace says public should assume Queen will not attend public events – after she ‘reluctantly’ canceled engagements due to mobility issues

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

By Kate Mansey for the Sunday Mail

Published: | Update:

The public must start to assume 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 “reluctantly” pulled out of engagements due to mobility issues.

As part of a new strategy, helpers will now only confirm its presence on the day of an event.

“The assumption now must be that the Queen will not be present at the events,” the source said. “If Her Majesty attends, 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 attendance at most engagements was planned for months and often publicly announced weeks in advance.

But the presence of the monarch – who celebrates her 96th birthday on Thursday – will now be a bonus rather than a guarantee. The move means an even bigger role for Prince Charles, under whose leadership – in large part – the monarchy continues effectively.

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

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

The Queen has faced ongoing mobility issues, but has appeared fine during recent virtual engagements

The Queen has faced ongoing mobility issues, but has appeared fine during recent virtual engagements

Charles stood in for the Queen on Thursday when she missed Holy Service for the first time in 52 years. Although the Queen is not suffering from a new illness and has appeared well during virtual engagements, ongoing mobility issues prevented her from attending the ceremony at St George’s Chapel near her apartments at Windsor Castle .

Her last public appearance was on March 29 at the service of thanksgiving for her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

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

Aides hope the Queen will be able to attend some of the events in person to mark her 70th Jubilee, although they are expected to be few in number.

Charles applauds families opening homes for refugees in moving Easter message

“This year I had the enormous privilege of representing Her Majesty The Queen at the service on Maundy Thursday, when Christians remember that humility and sacrifice are at the heart of our faith.

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

“Our Lord told them that he was doing 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 also harder now than it was then.

‘Today, millions of people find themselves displaced, weary of their journey from troubled places, hurt by the past, scared by the future – and in need of shelter, rest and kindness.

“Over the past few years, I have been heartbroken by the suffering of innocent victims of conflict or persecution, some of whom I have met who have told me stories of inexpressible tragedy as they been forced to flee their country and seek shelter far from home.

“But amidst all this sadness and inhumanity, it has been deeply moving to see how many people are willing to open their homes to those in need, and how they have volunteered their time and resources to help those in need. are faced with such soul-destroying pain and hardship.

“This Easter, as always, reminds us of our Lord’s timeless example of kindness in the face of suffering, courage in the face of fear, faith in the face of despair. His light has triumphed in this dark time. I pray with all my heart that his inspiring example will help us all to dispel the darkness of the world.

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