Queen Elizabeth had ‘military-style operation’ to hide Jubilee wheelchair

Buckingham Palace tried to hide the fact the late Queen needed a wheelchair in a huge operation to get her to her last-ever public appearance.

Buckingham Palace tried to hide the fact the late Queen needed a wheelchair in a huge operation to get her to the Jubilee. Picture: Anwar Hussein/WireImage

Buckingham Palace orchestrated “a military-style operation” in order to help a frail Queen Elizabeth participate in her final Jubilee ceremony last year, according to a bombshell new book about the British royal family.

In “Our King,” British journalist Robert Jobson related the “massive effort” made by the 96-year-old monarch to mark her 70 years on the throne during the four-day celebration in June, The New York Post reports.

“On her insistence, a military-style exercise was put in place so that no one could see she was having to use a wheelchair,” Jobson writes, according to an excerpt obtained by the Daily Mail.

Queen Elizabeth IIin 1977.

The Queen was in “considerable discomfort” in the last months of her life. Picture: PA Images via Getty Images

“In considerable discomfort, Her Majesty was taken by wheelchair to the helicopter pad at Windsor. At the palace, she was wheeled right up to the balcony doors, then helped to her feet so that she could stand — with the aid of a walking stick — alongside Charles and Camilla, plus William and his family.”

Jobson writes that the queen did not feel “strong enough” to attend the event, which featured tens of thousands paying their respects for her long rule. But she rallied, encouraged by her son Prince Charles, who “implored her to make a massive effort.”

“After a fireworks display, the Queen smiled with delight,” said Jobson. “It was her last salute to her people.”

This photo was taken to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – the first British Monarch to reach this milestone. Picture: The Royal family

The longest-reigning monarch in British history was unable to join her family at other Jubilee events, including a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The service was attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were loudly booed during their first joint royal appearance after leaving their royal duties in 2020 and fleeing to California.

The Queen also skipped a derby and party at Buckingham Palace, where a prerecorded video sketch with Paddington Bear was the highlight of the evening, according to the book.

Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, three months after her Jubilee.

This article originally appeared in theNew York Post and was reproduced here with permission.

Originally published as Queen Elizabeth had ‘military-style operation’ to hide Jubilee wheelchair