The Queen will miss Friday’s national Thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Buckingham Palace said.
He is believed to have experienced episodic mobility problems during the day. The palace said it would still attend a beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle on Thursday evening.
It is understood that the decision was considered unfortunate but sensible due to the length of the journey and the time involved, and the physical demands that the service would require. It was always his hope that he would attend more than a firm commitment.
The statement issued by the palace on Thursday evening said: “The queen really enjoyed the birthday parade and today’s parade, but she experienced some discomfort.
“Considering the trip and the activity necessary to participate in tomorrow’s national thanksgiving service in St. Paul’s Cathedral, His Majesty, with great reluctance, has concluded that he will not attend.
“The Queen is looking forward to taking part in tonight’s lighthouse lighting event at Windsor Castle and would like to thank all those who have made such a memorable occasion today.”
The Queen’s failure to attend means that the Prince of Wales will officially represent his mother at St Paul’s. The order of service will remain the same, but with some last minute adjustments to the Queen’s non-processional schedules. It means that Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive 10 minutes later than originally planned for the service, which begins at 11.30am.
On Thursday, the queen had a busy day putting on the color. He traveled from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace. And although he was not present at the parade of the guard on horseback for the ceremony itself, with Prince Charles saluting, he did recognize the greeting from the balcony of the palace when the parade ended in the center. commercial.
The royal family appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a video
He stood for a while acknowledging the greeting with the 86-year-old Duke of Kent. She was sometimes leaning on a cane, which was a gift from the army for her jubilee.
He then reappeared for a second appearance on the balcony, amidst the cheers of the crowd gathering at the mall, along with other hard-working members of the royal family to watch the RAF pass. This forced her to stand for the entire show for six minutes and beyond.
Although decisions on the Queen’s attendance at the jubilee events have been made at the last minute, due to her episodic mobility issues which she is understood to have experienced throughout Thursday, the service was expected to Thanksgiving is upon us, which means the holiday season is in full swing. to attend.
PA Media contributed to this report