Palace confirms Queen Elizabeth II ordered by doctors to rest for two weeks and cancel official visits
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Queen Elizabeth has been ordered by doctors to take more rest and cancel official visits as fears grow over her deteriorating health.
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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has been instructed by doctors to take more rest for the next two weeks and cancel public engagements, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement comes more than a week after the monarch, 95, spent a night in hospital for what a spokesman described at the time as “preliminary investigations.”
“Her Majesty’s doctors have advised that she should continue to rest for at least the next two weeks. The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based duties during this time, including some virtual audiences, but not to undertake any official visits,” the palace said in its statement Friday.
“Her Majesty regrets that this means she will be unable to attend the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday, 13th November. However, it remains The Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on 14th November. ”A royal source told CNN the Queen “remains in good spirits” and continues “light duties.” The advice was a “sensible precaution” from medics and the monarch’s diary was light for next week, the source said Friday.
FEARS QUEEN’S BREAK IS MORE SERIOUS
The headline in Britain’s top selling tabloid The Sun, was as much a surprise to readers as it was a shock to Buckingham Palace.
“Queen, 95, spends night in HOSPITAL,” the paper screamed in part last week as it revealed her Majesty had been admitted and kept in overnight at King Edward VII Hospital in central London.
Just why she was taken to the unofficial royal infirmary still remains unclear but the fact it was the press and not the palace that made the revelation is what has sent jitters across the Commonwealth.
In the age of digital media the palace has been quick to post on its various social platforms all the royal family’s movements and appearances.
It had a day earlier announced her Majesty had “reluctantly” decided to cancel a two-day trip to Northern Ireland after private physicians told her to rest her hectic schedule.
But there was no mention of being admitted to hospital, for a check up or otherwise.
Indeed the palace was providing off-the-record “guidance” to media that she was resting in Windsor when instead she was being taken to the private hospital.
The BBC criticised the move given “the millions” around the world wanting to learn about the head of state’s health and “rumours thrive in the absence of proper, accurate and trustworthy information”.
The overnight stay, her first since 2013 – and the palace’s reluctant confirmation only after news leaked – has now raised fears over her health, particularly given her age.
And just days after being caught on video admonishing world leaders – including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison – for not confirming their attendance at the COP26 climate summit in Glasow, it was revealed her Majesty, will herself, not be attending.
Elizabeth II has been part of our lives literally for generations – Queen of the UK and 15 realms including Australia, the world’s longest serving female head of state and everyone’s favourite grandmother – next year marking 70 years of rule.
End of life is a reality for us all but the Queen? Surely she must live forever.
“We all know there is an inevitability, everyone’s hoping it won’t happen for a long time but … people are afraid,” Australian Monarchist League’s longstanding national chairman Philip Benwell MBE said.
“It used to be when we thought about the Queen passing it was viewed as everyone’s grandmother passing on but it’s more than that now,” Mr Benwell said.
“It’s stability and security that surrounds the Queen; once she is gone and I think people are beginning to worry about what may happen, they wonder what the future may hold without the Queen’s steady hand on things.”
Mr Benwell said given her health and hectic public schedule, it was obvious she needed a rest.
He said he was confident of a recovery enough for her to write to Mr Morrison outlining how her platinum jubilee for 70 years on the throne next February should be marked in this country.
For his part, Mr Morrison said it was disappointing the Queen would not be attending COP26 now.
“I am sure everyone would have been looking forward to seeing her there, she is an extraordinary person and we wish her all the very best,” Mr Morrison said this week.
He added she took an active interest in Australia and most recently asked him about what rural Australia was doing to combat the mouse plague.
“So its not just a passing interest, she has a passionate interest in this country so we send her all of our love and best wishes for her recovery … Australia is there with you Your Majesty,” Mr Morrison said.
The palace has confirmed the Queen has been undergoing “tests” and “preliminary investigations” but declined to say exactly what for.
There is some speculation that the 95-year-old was simply exhausted, while the palace is privately saying she was just slowing down, needed a break and that she did not want “to make a fuss”.
She has certainly been renowned for her strong constitution and no-fuss approach to her infrequent illnesses.
But the palace has been quite open about past minor illnesses including two hospital overnighters for gastro and missing a Christmas Day mass due to what she herself described as “particularly grisly mixture of cold and flu”.
The palace even candidly revealed when the Queen received her Covid-19 jabs in January.
So silence now is what has the public concerned, privacy or not they are desperate for assurances.
Until this most recent hospital stay, she virtually has had daily appointments sometime with multiple stops and visits.
On October 12 she accompanied her daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, to a Westminster Abbey service of thanksgiving to mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion but made headlines because she used a walking stick. It was the first time she has done so at a major event.
The next day she had four face-to-face audiences, the day after that spent the day in Wales including attending the Welsh Senedd (parliament) after which she showed her irritation at world leaders who had yet to commit to attending COP26 and those “that talk but don’t do” enough about climate change.
On the day the palace announced she had “reluctantly decided” not to attend the summit with 120 world leaders, she still held two virtual audiences from Windsor Castle.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Her Majesty would be disappointed to miss the climate event.
“But I think it’s only a sensible taking into account the fact that she’s been advised to rest … clearly at 95 there are limits,” he said.
The Queen recently reportedly took a “prudent look” at her health and decided to give up alcohol which constituted of the odd gin martini and or an evening Dubonnet with bitter lemon, a type of sweet red Vermouth made in France.
The year she turned 90, the monarch called time on her overseas travels, leaving long-haul destinations to the younger members of her family notably heir Prince Charles (who will now host COP26 opening receptions).
But she still rides her Fell ponies at Windsor, and drives, mainly around her private estates much as husband Prince Phillip did before he died in April aged 99, two months short of his centenary.
The monarch is currently being looked after by the Medical Household, her expert team of royal physicians on call 24/7 and a small team of 20 royal staff that since Covid pandemic have been affectionately known as HMS Bubble.
But outside the royal court and without a true picture of Her Majesty’s health, no doubt teams of British government officials are dusting off their notes on Operation London Bridge, the plan for what will happen in the days after the Queen’s eventual passing.
It has been confirmed the plans were most recently reviewed during the height of Covid-19 pandemic. How the announcement is made, who is told and when all the way down to the words to be used is detailed.
Flags in Britain must be lowered within 10 minutes of the news, elsewhere such as on the other side of the world in Australia and with time differences at the earliest opportunity.
Then there are the plans for Operation Spring Tide, plans for Charles’ ascension to the throne.
Much thought has gone into the palace’s social media accounts’ handling of such an outcome.
But before that day and such talk, the palace says the Queen continues “light duties” from her Windsor home.
Valentine Low, veteran royal correspondent for The Times, said the royal court was privately saying there were no immediate concerns for the Queen’s health and he said she did look “perky” when last seen on Tuesday.
“On the other hand, the Palace has not been entirely forthcoming about her condition, so it is hard to tell if there is something that we are not being told,” he added.
“Royal sources are doing their best to play down any sense of alarm, so for the moment all we can do is go with that.”
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