While Queen Elizabeth has done a handful of virtual “events” since her hospitalization two weeks ago, she has not done any in-person events, or an event where she would have to stand for any length of time. Whatever is happening with her health, it’s clearly affected her balance, her movement and her general well-being. Does anyone trust Buckingham Palace to do a full or partial disclosure on what is happening with the Queen medically? Eh. I think that ship has sailed, if it was ever at port. When the palace does give an update, it’s basically to announce an adjustment to the Queen’s schedule. Last week, they announced that QEII will skip the climate conference (COP26). On Friday, the palace announced that the Queen will not make any public engagements for the next two weeks.
The Queen has been ordered by doctors to cancel all public engagements and rest for at least another two weeks. The 95-year-old will not undertake any official visits and will be confined to ‘light, desk-based’ duties only. She will miss the traditional Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 13, but has vowed to attend the service at the Cenotaph the following day.
Aides insisted that the Queen was in ‘good spirits’ and stressed that her medical team were simply taking ‘sensible precautions’. In fact, earlier in the day she was well enough to record her video message to be played at the opening of the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow on Monday. But the latest announcement is unlikely to calm public concern over the monarch’s health. It will be one of the longest, and most significant, absences as a result of ill health during her reign.
The Mail understands that although the suggestion she could remain at Windsor for more than a fortnight was made out of ‘caution’, it is likely her diary could be affected for some time to come. And while the monarch will be keen to get out and about as soon as possible, she will continue to be guided by what her doctors think is best. This means other senior royals will have to pick up more engagements on her behalf whenever possible, particularly the Prince of Wales.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement last night: ‘Following on from their recent advice that the Queen should rest for a few days, 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 [the receiving of ambassadors], but not to undertake any official visits. Her Majesty regrets that this means she will be unable to attend the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday November 13. However, it remains The Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on November 14.’
This meant, the Palace said, that she would ‘regretfully’ not be able to attend the traditional Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall with other members of the Royal Family. But they said it remained the Queen’s ‘firm intention’ to be present for the traditional Remembrance Sunday event in London the following day.
In the wake of the announcement, one royal source told the Mail: ‘That’s just unmissable, as far as the Queen is concerned. It would take something very serious indeed for her not to attend. It is one of her most sacred duties.’
Another added: ‘It’s just about the most inked-in engagement in her diary each year.’ Indeed, she has missed the event only six times in her 69-year reign, either when pregnant or away on tour.
I agree that the Queen likely sees Remembrance Sunday as “unmissable.” That’s one of her biggest annual “balcony appearances” and she is the patron of the Royal British Legion. The Festival of Remembrance is basically a concert/performance for veterans and their families, as well as the royal family and elected leaders. She rarely skips that, but I’m sure the royals will be out in force at that event in her absence. Again, I have to wonder if we’ll be seeing QEII in a wheelchair at some point very soon, perhaps even for Remembrance Sunday. It definitely seems like one of the biggest issues she’s having is standing/walking.
Also, it’s clear that Buckingham Palace is back to briefing reporters off-the-record, which they stopped doing for about a week while in the midst of the hospitalization cover-up. “Sources” confirm that the Queen does not have Covid, nor does she have a seasonal cold or flu.
PS… Sure, Charles will “cover” some of the Queen’s schedule. But what of the Keens?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Whatever it is that is going on with her health, its definitely more serious than they are letting on.
And of course the keens won’t take any of her duties. Aren’t they still on holiday?
I wonder if this is going to turn into a Princess Charlene thing where whatever is wrong with her keeps getting dragged out for months and months, while at the same time the palace keeps assuring us she’ll be back to work and better by next week, the end of the month, next month, etc.
They don’t have to “let on” anything, she’s 95. The body becomes delicate and things start wearing out – the thyroid runs down, blood pressure can get wonky, muscles aren’t as strong, energy is diminished. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gone gaga or has some serious ailment – and even if she did have, she’d still be 95…and 96 next year…and 97 after that…
Yes, about the Keens. Interesting how this article only mentions Charles specifically – the rest are “senior royals.”
Yes and wouldn’t most members of the public understand it’s the rare 95 year old who is living a busy public life of meetings, tours, and engagements? Most (not all, but a majority) of people that age in the UK are in some kind of care situation if not full time skilled nursing care.
Charles’ camp clearly using this and Lamebridges’ absence to do some flexing.
Stroke?
If it was a stroke, she wouldn’t be on video calls so soon.
I still think it was a fall; she hit her head and had to go into a hospital for a CT or an MRI, machines they wouldn’t be able to get into the Palace.
Then again, it could be Covid exposure (she never wears a mask). Even vaxxed you *can* get it, though you could be positive and a-symptomatic and need to quarantine for 10-14 days, or have very mild symptoms.
I don’t trust the palace to *ever* let us know what is *really* going on.
If it was a TIA (aka mini stroke), she could have recovered in just minutes.
True, in a sense, BNB; my dad has had quite a few TIAs, and *real and complete* recovery isn’t that immediate. Yes, the speech impediment or weakness(es) can resolve fairly quickly, but the *effects* of the TIA take longer to recover from and do leave some damage, esp. cognitively. I don’t think she’d be doing a lot of video, or even “light” meetings if they felt her cognition diminishing or there was a chance of another one occurring during one of said meetings (as they can (and do!) happen at any time. Just my opinion, of course! 😊
No, I think it’s COVID and they’re lying about it, since they’ve specified this very specific length of time off. 2 weeks is the exact prescribed quarantine period for COVID.
They’re probably covering up they’ve been so careless to let a 95-year-old woman keep going out to all these engagements with people with the Delta variant’s breakthrough potential. It looks awful for them they’d let her get it. But is completely on brand for the palace. (Plus they have a history already with 1 COVID cover-up with William.)
They probably put her in hospital overnight to be treated with monoclonal antibody therapy and to have her lungs looked over well by various tests.
Could be covid. Ed Sheehan tested positive after Keenshot and William was with the queen shortly after. It wouldn’t look good if William gave it to her and definitely worth lying over, plus it’s the palace so anything is possible.
Oh god, can you IMAGINE what it would do to Boris Johnson’s political career if his mishandling of the Covid situation ended up killing the Queen?
This is a big deal and they are trying to play down the reality that TQs health isn’t great. Maybe she got COVID, who knows but for her to miss remembrance weekend – that alone means that there is something serious.
And if anyone expects the Keens to step up – I have a bridge to sell you!
Yes, even “just” the festival is a big deal for the royals so for her to miss that is huge. I bet on Remembrance Sunday we see her on the balcony and that’s it (does she still lay a wreath herself anyway?) I would not be surprised if they have her in a chair and she stands for only certain parts of the ceremony.
She no longer places a wreath herself. She stopped doing that in 2017 because she couldn’t walk backwards down the stairs.
I agree, the Queen is having problems standing and walking. I suspect she had a bad fall and that’s why she was admitted to hospital. I don’t get why BP can’t just say this. She’s the Head of State and the public has the right to know what’s going on with her.
But but but … she’s entitled to some privacy even though she’s a public figure and does public service and sometimes speaks and appears in public, right?
Funny how in the palaces and the RR and the British press that’s true for her but not the Sussexes. Even though SHE’s the actual Head of State!
It is fascinating how the palaces/RR/anti-Sussex pick & choose when they’ll remember the definition of privacy. The comedy continues.
Definition of privacy. 1a : the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : seclusion. b : freedom from unauthorized intrusion one’s right to privacy.
Head of State is too modern a title for her, even though most people (even the palaces) describe her as such. She is more than the head of state. She is the body of state. She is State!
Come hell or high water, they’ll prop her up for Remembrance Sunday and it will be QEII’s last public appearance ever. Christmas. Valentine’s Day at the latest, if she’s lucky.
The Queen thinks she is indispensable, wait until the grim reaper calls.
If her mind is still sharp and it’s only a balance issue that is non life threatening she still has a few more years ahead. I don’t know if the courtiers will be OK sending out the queen in wheelchair tho so we might not see her in public for a long time.
Well, if she starts walking arm in arm with an LIW or Charles, we’ll know, won’t we?
My grandmum is ninety and she doesn’t even attend our events anymore. Her feet swell and her health declines no matter how comfortable she is. Granted she has never had the kind of resources elizabeth has but i think at this point they really should just let her rest and she should take it.
@Woke – my thoughts exactly. I think she may be struggling with vertigo. Being older balance is already tricky. Throw in vertigo and avoiding a lot of walking (especially unassisted) would be important.
The Queen was standing and upright at the reception on Tuesday evening Oct. 19. The next day they cancelled the Northern Ireland trip and had her brief hospitalization and since then she’s been relegated to Zoom.
It’s hard to say what’s wrong with her because at 95 it could be anything. However, if Harry and Meghan had been on vacation like the Keens have been this past week the headlines would have been brutal calling for them to come home. Kate is literally lying on a beach somewhere sunning herself and the British Media ignores it.
The headlines are already calling for harry to come to the UK. No word on the keens holiday though.
They call him come home once a week basically for some reason or another. Nothing new about that
And the bots go on about his “leaving Meghan home” while he takes the children to the Queen. Just repulsive.
I’ve worked it long term care and hospice for a decade. Often, someone whose health is declining so precipitously is hanging on for a specific reason: one more Christmas, a loved one’s birthday or graduation. This is especially true if their cognitive faculties are relatively stable. Whatever she’s hanging on for, whether it’s Christmas or the Jubilee, I don’t think she’ll be around for long afterward. She certainly won’t be here this time next year.
I know she’s lived a life propped up by taxpayers and protected her rapist son and etc etc but still, how strange to have the entire world watch your decline.
Yes, and that’s why I think the palace just won’t cone out and say “She’s extremely old and her overall health is steadily declining week by week, folks.” They’re wrong to keep anything from the public, as she is their Head of State. Yet, any real acknowledging would lead to a firestorm of coverage about her death. I wouldn’t put it past the British media to run a countdown clock or something like that. There’d be entire documentaries about what happens once she dies, etc. As a human being, I can understand why they’re giving the public nothing on this.
Shouldn’t it be obvious to the public that she’s 95? It’s not like she’s going to get any younger.
To people under thirty the Queen must seem like an alien life form, if they don’t have grandparents they spend time with. And same comment applies for Charles. The Keens know what’s coming and are probably trying to enjoy the last period with their kids before they have to take it over.
Eurydice, it’s like royalist actually believe she’s going to live forever. It’s crazy. She’s 95 and her body is wearing out. She’s not going to “get better”. She’s lived much much longer than average but these people seem to think she’s supposed to make it to 110 or something. It’s weird. When it finally happens, and I think it will be soon, the mental and emotional breakdown in that country is going to be something to behold. I think even Britons who don’t particularly care for the royals will lose it as well.
Remember how people reacted to Diana’s death? The literal wailing in the streets? That’s how it will be for the Queen, and even more understandable because of her longevity. I remember as an American, finding that public outpouring really disturbing, especially as Diana’s sons were brought out to comfort the people who took so much prurient interest in their mother. The ownership of this family that seems to be part of the British zeitgeist is really bizarre to me. But at least the outpouring of grief for the Queen will make more sense—very few Britons have known any other Queen but her.
Diana’s sons were brought out to shield Charles and the others from ridicule and to distract from the Queen’s late response in dealing with it. They were the best PR tool the Firm had and they used them accordingly. Sickening.
It will be a massive end of an era because the Queen has always been there for the majority of people but whether people like it or not she never touched people the way Diana did. They’ll hype it up and magnify it because of the length of her reign etc but it won’t be the same IMO.
@Nyro – Yes, the public sees the Queen from a distance, not all the time, and always when she’s neat and coiffed and dressed in a full ensemble. So, they may not think about her the same way as they do their mothers or grandmothers, who won’t always be at their best.
Diana died in a tragic way at an early age which is why the public reacted the way it did. The reactions to Philip passing is more what we can expect in this case.
@Lanne I was in San Francisco when Diana died and the public outpouring of grief largely from the gay community was like nothing I’ve seen since. It wasn’t the passing of a public figure, it was the shocking, tragic death of a 36 year old who was barely in the prime of her life, whose international relevance was still building – and specifically in SF her work normalizing compassion for AIDS victims.
When TQ passes it will be time to reflect upon and honor her legacy. There will be international mourning even beyond the commonwealth, but outside her family I don’t think it will be expressions of heart wrenching grief as accompanies tragedy.
I agree that reactions will not be like Diana’s passing. She became bigger than the role she left, whereas the Queen, is just that: The Queen. For many people, she is inseparable from her role, but I do not think we will see open grief to the same global scale as we did with Diana. I lived in the literal ARCTIC when Diana died (Yellowknife, NT, Canada) and her death hit that largely redneck, rip-up-the-earth-for-jobs community hard. Drinks raised to her that night and beyond at bars as well as the top topic of conversation. The legion will surely have glasses raised to the Queen, and maybe a few others, but openly crying in the mall – which I saw, and maybe did, too – no. That I do not expect.
Has the queen ever taken william along in the more official part of royal work? Like signing paper work etc? Because if she hasn’t she might want to start introducing him to it now, especially since charles is technically also a senior citizen
It’s not easy to train someone who’s flounced off to another continent.
@coco william still lives in the uk.
I was referring to the mystery vacation he’s on.
@Chloe, since Mustique is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, part of the Americas I believe, William has flounced off to another continent. On a regular basis too!
@ Coco, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Burger King has no desire to learn what he is expected to do once his time comes. If he wanted to learn as to what is expected of him, he would have been involved two decades ago. He is going to keep living off of the backs of the taxpayers and not give a second thought as to how ill prepared he is. Burger King stupidly thinks he’s ready, because his ego tells him.
I read a funny article yesterday that said it was not clear whether William could help fill in for the Queen because he’s very busy. I laughed.
I don’t think Willy went to Mustique with Kate and the kids. But he can’t exactly show his face before they return, can he?
While the tabloid is reporting this story about the queen health, they might also want to print a missing persons add for the keenbridges.
I can’t believe how no one is throwing a tantrum over the fact that these two are off sunning themselves when they should be in the uk and at work considering Willyleaks is 2nd in line . If this was Harry and Meghan pulling this lazyass selfish, self centered bullshit, people in the North Pole would be hearing the screams from the British media and public.
Racism really is alive and well in the uk
Missing in action lol! Willy and Kate are such deadbeats. Even I get embarrassed for them and the public that keep them on the teat. Amazingly stupid, the whole lot, Royals, royalists, tabloids.
The fact that they are wanting Harry to come back to the UK and not Will and Kate speaks volumes on how worthless they find them. Harry isn’t a working royal anymore. William is a future King. How embarrassing for the Cambridge’s.
I think they just want Harry back (or some of them do) to separate him from Meghan and it is not that they are putting down William.
Too funny. I can just imagine the Keen’s photo attached to trees and lampposts, like people do for lost dogs – “If you’ve seen them, call this number.”
@Over it, I genuinely LOL’d at your missing persons ad for Keenbridges comment. That was awesome.
Sure, Charles & Camilla need to step up more now while they’ve been working while the younger work shy Cambridges have spent most of the past ten years on vacation.
I think they are putting down William or they just know not to ask because they are useless. This article name checks Charles specifically as the person who will step up more, even though he’s already pretty busy with his work and shadow kinging. Nobody has mentioned the Keens even though their entire PR for the past five years has been they are preparing for their future roles and how the queen relies on them. This is the perfect time to prove that and yet I’ve seen quite a few articles from the BM calling for Harry, AND Meg, to come back and step up for the queen.
That helps support how much the Keens cannot be relied on and are ill prepared for their future roles (at least if work is involved).
The BRF has had almost 2 years to plan for H & M not being there. The BM/The Firm really needs to learn that smear campaigning against Meghan and poor planning by the Firm does not constitute an emergency for the Duke & Duchess of Sussex to come back and make up for the laziness of W & K.
@ JT, the audacity of them wanting Harry to come back to step in for the Lambridges is pathetic! They created the monster of PWT, and that is who they are stuck with!! They bet on the wrong horse and they are pissed that he hasn’t actively stepped up and in to his duties. But they have no one to blame but themselves. I am certain that TQ and Chaz are kicking themselves now for having given into the demands of the perpetual man-child of the half in/out opportunity that Harry and Meghan offered. It’s time they put the Lambridges feet to the fire!
@Bothsides It is simply astonishing how the firm screwed up the H&M situation the way that they did. Half in was the perfect compromise and the best plan for everyone (mainly the palace) going forward. Now would have been the perfect time to bring in the Sussexes for an extra set of hands while the queen is down, because when have Workshy Willy or Duchess Doolittle ever stepped up to do anything? The firm needs to start briefing against the Cambridges with the way they’ve been acting because this is ridiculous. When the queen goes all hell is going g to break loose because the Keens are just not up to snuff.
I think they are protecting the Cambridges by not mentioning them. They don’t want the public to question where William is right now. But AFTER they return from vacation, my bet is the stories will be all about how William has stepped up and performed kingly duties, how Kate is the rock that the monarchy depends on, etc. They just don’t want to draw attention until the vacation is over.
I don’t think she’ll turn up in a wheelchair. I think the last thing she wants is people to realise that she’s (very) old and using a wheelchair due to age will remind her and the public that she’s mortal and her time’s running out.
She might sit (on the balcony) for parts at the Cenotaph. In Philip’s last appearance at it, he was standing but leaning heavily against the wall. It follows what I guessed at yesterday. Skipping all Remembrance events except the wreath laying.
I spit out my coffee at “This means other senior royals will have to pick up more engagements on her behalf whenever possible, particularly the Prince of Wales.”
Charles is elderly himself, and while he has many faults and flaws, so far as I know nobody has ever faulted him for his work ethic. He and Camilla have been taking on heavier workloads for a while now. In other words, it’s not Charles that needs to step up if they want this whole monarchy thing to keep going! I think this is more of a hint to the Dolittles that they’d best postpone their next vacay.
What I don’t get is the pr involving the rest of the family? What happened to the not so magnificent 7? Why are Charles and Camilla the only ones out there? We keep hearing about how Charles is going to streamline the monarchy but if he’s pretty much in control now (which I believe to be the case) then the end might be near. Why hasn’t he told baldingham to knock off the vacations abroad, why hasn’t he figured out how to stop the leaks(many of which are now against him and his wife)?
I wonder if the Magnificent Seven fizzled out due to Charles being opposed to Edward and Sophie having a bigger role. I think it was after the Magnificent Seven stuff, and after Philip’s death, that Charles made sure to get it out in the press that he would make sure Edward was not made Duke of Edinburgh (as Edward expected) and that he really had no time for Edward and Sophie.
What a mess! I think Tom Sykes had it right when he wrote this week that the palace has spent oodles of time planning the Queens funeral events and not enough time planning for infirmity and declining health. You can tell they are caught out by all this and are scrambling.
It’s been highly speculative that WIlliam has a good amount of swaying power. I wonder if Sophie and Edward have been cut off/out/shoved aside because Queen looked past Keen and onto Sophie. Because yes, the Cambridges are THAT petty. We saw that with their treatment of the Sussexes and children,
The Magnificent fizzled out because none of them are actually magnificent. The Queen included. She’s not magnificent..her claim to fame is longevity and ability to hold interest through her love of horse racing(with adult males & females at least_. As an American with a strong interest and some connections to horse racing, that’s pretty much the love that any adult male/female in the US has for the Queen. imo Truth be told, the Queen is just not that interesting outside of her longevity. I think it’s pretty interesting that she’s looked more happy & relaxed after Philip passed away.
She is not going to make it as long as Queen Mum, but she has made it longer than most of us will. God bless the Queen.
A short comment in the DM stated that the Queen has intestinal problems and the doctors would only operate in an emergency
This sounds feasible.
Sounds like it might be diverticular disease — my mother had it and it eventually killed her at 92.
Would that be a reason her Dr’s told her to cool it on the alcohol?
Could also be why she was in the hospital overnight; prep for colonoscopy? Could be brutal for a 95 year old.
Colonoscopies are usually recommended to stop at 75. Just the prep alone is so harsh on a fragile system. Unless there was something extremely drastic that they felt they had to check for, I doubt she had a colonoscopy.
Queen Mum had colon cancer at 66. That might be a reason for those to be performed regularly on her daughter.
The palace is not telling the full truth about the queen’s health. Remember it took six months before coming clean about Willam’s COVID diagnosis. I bet Charles is talking to Harry and Meghan’s returning when the time comes. It will be bad optics if Meghan isn’t there.
That’s really coming around to bite them, isn’t it? I don’t think the palace has ever been forthcoming when it comes to the health of the monarch (Didn’t the Queen’s father secretly have most of his lung removed due to cancer, and they said it was “correcting breathing problems” or the like) , but that particular omission about William having Covid was unforgivable. Not only would it have built trust with the public to be open about it, but it could have made people take Covid much more seriously early on!
It feels like BP has long ago exhausted their credibility now that they need it most.
They didn’t just omit that William had COVID, they lied when asked directly. The RRs were incandescent with rage when it was revealed he had had COVID because they had asked and been told no.
And seeing as the direct heir, Charles, did not hide his Covid diagnosis when he got it, there are even fewer reasons for the next one who is younger and further down the line to hide it for months.
I mean we all know the real reason it was hidden was because he caught it with one of his flings and isn’t living with kate and the kids, hence the media not even bothering to explain why Kate didn’t get it herself.
I hope Charles has both Harry and Meghan come, not just Harry. Charles burned his bridges when he took William’s side and let William drive Harry out without one apparent word of protest. I don’t have faith in Charles. Charles even issued a statement about how he “admires” William’s “work”. Camilla has far less work numbers than Charles and has cut short tours. Charles has done the majority of the work.
Camilla isn’t nearly as healthy as Charles. There is osteoporosis in her family and she’s already had a few bad falls/breaks. When she flies long distances she gets bad vertigo, so she has to travel early separately or be given time to recoup.
There’s no way Harry should go without Meghan. She has her own relationship with the Queen and it would be wrong for her to be absent. I think Harry would insist on both of them coming, and I don’t think the royals will fight him on that. It would be terrible optics if Meghan wasn’t there. It would be them deliberately excluding her, and there’s no reason for it. I think she would have been at Phillips funeral had she not been heavily pregnant.
If H goes to the UK without M it will be because H&M made tht decision. Neither charles nor betty wd hv the audacity to “invite” H to visit & tell him explicitely tht his wife is not invited & expect tht H wd accept tht.
Ultimately this will be Harry and Meghan’s choice to make. If I were Harry, I would refuse to come unless my wife was also invited, and I had assurances that she would be treated with respect. Harry has the power of “no” here and I hope he uses it.
I hope Meghan stays home, although she’ll be dragged either way. If she stays home it will be painted as disrespectful. But if she turns up in even the most boring black dress ever, she’ll be accused of being all hOlLyWoOd and attention seeking.
If Charles has heart, he shouldn’t summon back Harry and Meghan. It’s better that H&M stay in the US and manage to have a successful career with independent cash earning ability. Charles can’t protect them forever even if he wants to. When Charles dies, William will take over and I shudder for H&M should that happen. For all intents and purposes, Harry is a spare after all. Look at his uncle the Duke of York, he will become Andrew and William will make sure of it.
It’s completely common for a spouse to go downhill when their significant other passes, especially after so much time together. The Queen is a unique person in this case because she is supposed to be above such “common” emotions and bodily reactions, but that’s the pattern.
I personally don’t think she will allow herself to be seen in a wheelchair. I think the best thing she could do is announce she is stepping aside for Charles while she still alive so the public can get used to seeing him in a that more senior role with her in the background. It won’t be as big of a shock.
THe Queen has in effect already done that. Charles has been seen a lot more over the years. I doubt she will make an announcement, just give Charles even more of the work.
I agree with u tht Betty, but more so her handlers, will NOT allow her to be seen in a wheelchair. And I hv to laugh at the irony of tht & the hypocrisy of the “duty-and-service” charlatans tht the royals are.
Because isn’t this exactly what high-profile folks wth a large platform & who promote & exemplify service to others wd do? For eg when Angelina had her mastectomy & when Meghan had her miscarriage. Such hi-profile persons, by going public in the way they did, were of great service to the millions of others wth similar experiences & the organizations tht serve such communities.
Betty could be a perfect role model for tht population & the organizations tht serve not just seniors but tht special grp of seniors who are octo- & nanogerians.
But of course, real service & usefulness to others is NOT what the #RacistRoyals are about.
@ Talie, I agree with you wholeheartedly. It’s extremely common, more so than those in BP are willing to address. Add to the fact that she is 95 FFS! TQ will never allow the public to see her in a wheelchair. TQ is also possibly taking a greater hit on her health regarding PedoAndy’s lawsuit as well. I would imagine that his actions have caused her great stress. TQ was also less active during the lockdown and her body isn’t bouncing back as she had hoped and expected. There are many outside influences that are affecting her health besides her age. In addition to having to take Burger King by the hand, at nearly 40 years old, to smooth over his disastrous choo-choo “charm” tour!
If she’s on Zoom, then it isn’t anything that affects her speech- stroke, cold/covid (no cough), memory issues, head injury, etc.
If it was walking or standing, then why are they saying she’ll miss the concert but not the next day? And if she had a fall, it would be obvious, I think- bruising or something broken or bandaged?
Someone said they heard intestinal issues, and I like this. She can’t do longer events even in a wheelchair because the intestinal issues might cause an accident. But she can do short appearances like laying a wreath or appearing on a balcony. And this is something I can see wanting to not admit, whereas a fall or cold would be less embarrassed.
Well, it could be the opposite intestinal issue. It happened to my mother – she became so “backed up” that she ended up in the emergency room. It’s embarrassing, but can be serious for older people.
And now I can’t believe we’re talking about the Queen’s bowel movements…
@Euridice Agree it could easily be a ‘backed up’ situation. She seems to be a light eater and is visibly smaller since Philip died. My mom is 92 and relatively healthy but we do have to remind her she needs more than tea and toast a couple times a day.
@Tigerlily – the same here. At least my mother drinks one of those high-protein nutrition drinks every day and she has reminders to drink plenty of water so she won’t get dehydrated. It’s not that she forgets, but her body isn’t sending out hunger and thirst signals the way it used to. Dehydration can cause weakness and loss of balance and it takes time for the elderly to recover.
She drinks lot of alcohol too, or used to, which is dehydrating.
Appetite definitely decreases with age as well as weight. In the latter part of her life, my 97 year old mom barely ate anything and couldn’t eat any of her favorite foods. Dehydration was also an issue and she had to be constantly coaxed to drink liquids. Her weight dropped drastically and she was barely 80 pounds when she passed away.
Hoping she gets better and can live on to 100 at least.
I hope she does too. I hope it is a wake up call and she can undo some of the damage, and perhaps allow Meghan and Harry to do part time work. She really bungled this by letting William drive out Harry.
I don’t think Meghan and Harry want to be doing part time work for the monarchy at this point in time. They have their own thing going and that would be going backward not forward.
Have you not listened to any of Harry’s interviews? Or is this just your own personal hope? They said they regret nothing and should have done this years ago. The Sussexes have moved on and considering that most of the people who abused them are still there I doubt they would want to return to working in that environment.
My only hope is that the palace apologizes to Harry and Meghan for all the wrong doing (hopefully individuals are exposed) and let them live their life as they please without constantly trying to one up them in this one sided battle from William for attention.. Long shot I know.
I really hope this doesn’t happen. Meghan and the kids cannot be protected within the royal family. Charles will die within 20-30 years and then what? They will all be at the mercy of William. Best to get out and stay out now when they are at the height of their popularity and power.
Harry and Meghan will never get involved with the BRF’s *work* again. She was suicidal…her life and that of her baby son were threatened while her in-laws just smirked and did nothing other than leak to the tabloids and mess with the royal foundation’s money.
That would be the most idiotic thing for them to do. They will have to terminate all their current contracts and businesses. They will have to go back to living in the fishbowl, subjected to royal protocol, Meghan will have to be less so as not to outshine PWT and Keen.
Lets not forget the legal troubles terminating their contracts will cause them. They might end being sued for breach of contract. Their names will be mud.
They owe the BRF nothing. Them going back for more of the same just for the sake of propping up an institution that should be abolished, is the nuttiest idea ever. .
Princess Margaret was pretty much only seen in public while using a wheelchair by the time she was 70 due to strokes and other health problems. Don’t know how true this is, but a book about Princess Margaret said that her sister was critical of that and felt the wheelchair was unnecessary.
The palace is setting themselves up for more drama by creating the expectation the Queen will be at Remembrance Sunday. If they were smart they would say, she currently plans to attend it but will take medical advice on that closer to the day.
Her evilness aside, this is one of Angela Kelly’s better efforts in recent years. This blue and gold outfit reminds me of Camilla’s wedding blessing coat.
It’s sad she’s not well but hardly unexpected due to age. Then how long can dad of the year Chuck prop up the monarchy? Consider he’s got nasty Camilla by his side and the dumb and dumber Cambridges. Mix in grotesque Andrew and his messy af exwife and what an incompetent lot.
When the Queen passes, who will step up to lead the nation in mourning?Chuck? Andrew? William? The only person I see who could step up, lead the nation in mourning and bringing everyone together is Harry. Big mistake to run him and his family out. Good luck UK.
Charles will lead the nation. He will be King and within a few hours of his mother’s passing he will address the nation. There will be a sense of unity, a coming together, because this is what happens with any serious national event when the monarch speaks live to the nation.
It all appears so unseemingly.
Man, those “sweet little old grandma” comments are never going to see an end. The power of propaganda. 😩
I bet they pull her out of Remembrance Sunday at the last minute. They were still pushing expectations of her attending COP26 and look how that turned out.
I actually do hope Harry gets to visit her before long, otherwise 1. he will NEVER hear the end of it from family and media, and 2. I honestly think it would hurt his heart to not see her in person at least once more before she goes, letting her meet the granddaughter he named after her. Because for all she doesn’t deserve it, he loves the old bat.
Why do people keep projecting their feelings onto Harry and Meghan. It’s like royal reporters constantly telling us how Harry “feels” when they’ve never met him or barely interacted with him.
My grandma recently passed away and none of my direct family was able to be there. My mom wasn’t upset that she couldn’t be there to say goodbye. She flew in for the funeral in the height of Covid. They accepted that reality when we moved countries. We have Skype, email, iPhones, and so many other things now.
The only thing we know is that the Sussexes speak to the Queen more often.
I don’t think we should be adding how we feel Harry or Meghan would “feel.”
This is how headlines are created to blame Meghan especially and Harry. No matter what they do the BM will be criticizing them for something.
Let them do what they want how they want
it. Maybe video chat is enough or maybe in person is what they desire. We don’t know and ultimately it’s none of our business.
And by the way when Philip was in hospital barely anyone went to visit. We also didn’t hear about any of the dozen grandchildren/great grandchildren saying “goodbye”
Why is it always people scrutinizing Harry and Meghan and not other members of the family who are doing the SAME THING!
Yes!
Whoa.
Okay, I wasn’t projecting anything. I was honestly making a very innocent comment about a person who has shown himself over the years to be a very sensitive and emotional man.
I didn’t include anything about Meghan in my comment, so I don’t know why you accuse me of foisting faux feelings or whatever onto her, regardless. I was 100% referring to a man and his history of behaviour toward a particular family member who is apparently unwell and likely at the winter of her life, during incredibly awful times, both globally and personally.
And I absolutely, positively did NOT criticize him for ANYTHING. I even pointed out that it would be the awful other people in that family who would do just that.
Harry and Meghan named their daughter after her. He has spoken about how much he loves his granny. I think it’s safe to say he would like to visit her. Even secretly; the media isn’t entitled to it.
The queen has had plenty of interactions with the Sussexes during their regular zoom calls. No way in hell would I be hauling my unvaccinated infant and toddler children into the UK where Covid rates are spiking again to put be in contract with an old lady who has been running around maskless for the past several months. She HAS met them, and Harry owes nothing further. Nothing.
Imagine if she fired Boris and installed somebody else!!
I think it’s serious, yesterday DM had an articles about the 4 counselors is State which includes Harry and Andrew. Harry being out of the country would not be able to fulfill that function. There’s discussion about naming additional counselors including Anne, Edward or Beatrice and Camilla,
Charles is truly a clown for sitting back and watching as Willileaks helped his staff and the press terrorize Meghan and Harry to the point where they had to leave. Besides Andrew moving up one spot on the counsellors of state list, they now have to worry about ensuring nothing happens to Willileaks and Charles before George turns 18, unless they like the sound of Prince Regent Andrew.
I doubt it will be Beatrice considering all…
Boris Johnson says she’s in very good form. That’s hardly reassuring.
Boris Johnson says she’s alright? Okay people, time to start buying booze and non-perishable food items just in case all the shops close for a week.
Whether the role is considered ceremonial or not (and believe me, it’s not ceremonial at all), the Queen is the head of state. It’s irresponsible to not be forthcoming about the health of an individual who’s the freaking head of state, for not just Britain, but a whole host of other countries. Britain might not have a written constitution that clearly defines and outlines her job duties, but she still has an official job to do. The functioning of the govt rests on her doing that job. So wtf is going on with her? What are these health issues, and could they potentially incapacitate her from fulfilling the demands of her role? For the BP staff to f-ck around and hand wave this shit is beyond insane. People should get fired for less.
The bit about Charles stepping up is, to me, an unofficial acknowledgement that he is next in line, and there will be absolutely no discussion had about skipping or bypassing him whatsoever, and he is the one taking the reigns of an unofficial regency. The Queen, all things said and done, is a stickler for tradition. Passing the crown down the line of succession is the fundamental basis of the monarchy. Charles will not be skipped. He can be made unpopular, he can opposed by the govt and the BP staff, he can be smeared by Williams’ reactionary Tory friends as being too “liberal” and “wishy-washy.” But he will not be skipped. And as far as anyone else is concerned right now, Charles is in charge (of our days and our nights and whatnot).
Let us all keep in mind, palace sources are full of shit.
It certainly seems her age is finally catching up with her. I think she hated being photographed with a cane and absolutely will not be seen in a wheelchair. I don’t think we’ll see her very much at all now, similar to Phillip joining the family only very rarely in his last couple of years.
I kinda think she’s been diagnosed with something serious and that’s why she doesn’t seem to care much at all. She secretly talks to Harry and goes off to see him without telling the family or courtiers. Stands up for her awful son even though it damages the monarchy.
I’ll be more concerned if Harry flies in with the wife and kids. He’ll definitely want to see her and let her meet Lilibet. That’s honestly what we did when my husband’s grandmother started going downhill in her 90s. We flew to England with our toddler so they could see each other again. Unfortunately, she passed a few months later.
I hope Harry goes to see her and is back home before anyone knows.
So your 95 year old monarch needs a breather and instead of going to your 40 year old second in line and his wife, who have barely done 100 events between the two of them this year, to pick up the slack you go to his 71 year old father who has done more than 100 events himself this year? Makes sense.
I jjst don’t get it: havent we been told that Charles has been planning for a slimmed down monarchy anyway? So why isn’t his heir picking up the slack like he will need to do when Charles officially ascends? What tf are they planning on doing when the queen is gone, andrew is out, harry and meghan are out, and the wessexes and anne are relegated to lesser roles?
“So why isn’t his heir picking up the slack like he will need to do when Charles officially ascends?” – Because William doesn’t want to and he’s been used to get away with absolutely everything his entire life.
Keens don’t work. That ship has sailed a long time ago, too. Don’t get me wrong: their “enthusiasms” are endless. They just don’t do anything about them or do a micro-event like Will just did in his ravishing green velvet jacket (my eyes are rolling as I write that). Fools.
They looked ridiculous, william preening in green velvet and she giddily walking next to him in the gown she wore ten years ago.
I read that Harry cannot be one of the four counselors of state because he is not domiciled in the UK. True? I think, if he wanted to, he could argue he is a UK citizen and has a home in the UK and a home in the US. I was just bothered how he was dismissed so casually and they like to make up rules that only Harry has to follow.
Exactly, Tessa. And he got all this praise in the UK? Desperate times, indeed.
Publiament and the armed forces are two of her most important power bases. So she can skip anything temporary, but would take considerable thought on these two occasions.