The British queen, 95, has lately canceled a number of excursions and engagements, and the most recent postponement has heightened concerns about her health. Since mid-October, she has not been seen.
Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that Queen Elizabeth II had hurt her back, preventing her from attending a commemoration ceremony due to illness.
The queen lost her husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021 and she has been out of sight for the longest spells of her reign, missing visits to Northern Ireland and the UN climate meeting in Glasgow. This new poor turn will intensify British anxieties about the queen’s health.
It was reported less than two hours prior to her expected arrival at the event by Buckingham Palace that the queen had been injured and would not be attending. Officials said her injury was unrelated to prior medical advice that she takes at least two weeks off from work to recuperate from her recent surgery.
Queen Elizabeth II’s back sprain was not disclosed by the palace, but an official claimed that she had not been sent to the hospital and that she wanted to resume official light responsibilities in the next week. According to palace sources, the queen has been advised by physicians to limit her public appearances after the grueling autumn of festivities.
In a two-paragraph statement on Sunday, Buckingham Palace stated that the Queen is said that she won’t be able to attend the service. As in past years, the Prince of Wales will lay a wreath on behalf of Her Majesty.
The queen’s dissatisfaction may have been understated by the statement’s formal phrasing. In recent days, the queen had made it obvious that she was determined to return to public view at this event after a nearly seven-decade reign of being sidelined for over a month. She had previously canceled her plans to attend an event at London’s Royal Albert Hall honoring those who perished in the war on Saturday.
One of the most serious occasions on the British calendar is the memory ceremony, which commemorates the fallen soldiers of World War II. To the queen, it is also of great personal importance, as during World War II she served as a truck mechanic in the auxiliary service, and she often talks of the war as a uniting event for British culture.
Six times in the previous 69 years has the queen missed the service, as per the Palace: twice while pregnant and four times when on an official visit outside of London.
