For the first time in 22 years, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain missed the Sunday service, when the United Kingdom commemorates the victims of both world wars. The absence of the head of state has renewed concerns about the health of the 95-year-old queen, who at the last minute gave up her first public appearance in weeks. Buckingham Palace said the Queen will not attend the commemorative event due to back problems. Earlier, Elizabeth II was going to personally appear at the event to honor the memory of those who died in the wars
The Queen was forced to miss Sunday’s commemoration ceremony for the first time in 22 years due to a back injury, Buckingham Palace reported, adding that Elizabeth II was “disappointed” to have missed the event.
According to the Daily Mail , the palace said that the 95-year-old head of the monarchy made the decision on Sunday morning “with great regret.” Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to attend a Memorial Day service at the Cenotaph National Memorial in London this Sunday, which would be her first personal public event since being advised to rest after a night in hospital last month.
It is clear that the queen’s sprain is not related to her doctor’s recent advice to rest, writes the Daily Mail.
Buckingham Palace stated: “The Queen, with her back injury, decided with great regret this morning that she would not be able to attend today’s Sunday Memorial Service at Cenotaph. Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service. As in previous years, the Prince of Wales will lay a wreath on behalf of Her Majesty. His Royal Highness, along with the Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke and Princess Alexandra, will attend today as planned. ”
The Queen is said to be deeply disappointed that she missed the service, which she considers one of the most significant events of the year, and looks forward to continuing as planned next week with her light duty schedule.
Elizabeth II, who served as a military driver and mechanic during World War II, was to observe the ceremony at the war memorial in central London from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.
Her presence at the service was confirmed by the palace on Thursday after the royal doctors told the queen to rest just over three weeks ago, and on October 20, she spent the night in hospital undergoing an examination. The palace had previously stated that the Queen was “determined” to attend the annual wreath-laying service at Whitehall.
The Queen, who survived World War II at a young age, is the head of the armed forces and attaches great importance to the memorial service for those who fell during the war.
During her reign, the Queen missed only six of these ceremonies: four times when she visited Ghana in 1961, Brazil in 1968, Kenya in 1983, and South Africa in 1999. She was also not present during the services of 1959 and 1963, as she was pregnant with her two youngest children.
The world’s oldest and longest-lived monarch recently visited King Edward VII Hospital in London for a “pre-examination” for an unspecified ailment, and has since skipped events such as the COP26 climate conference and Saturday night’s war memorial.
Concerns over the health of the queen, who was recently seen for the first time with a cane at events, arose in October when Elizabeth II canceled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland. The decision was made a few hours before she was due to fly to the region, and although assistants said she stayed at Windsor Castle, she was later taken to hospital for her first overnight stay in eight years. there.
