Over the past month, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been sucking up all of the “royal gossip” oxygen, for better or for worse. I mean, it’s been that way for years now, the focus on the Sussexes versus the Cambridges, the tit-for-tat, the copykeening, the racism, the bridesmaids’ tights. But one storyline that hasn’t gotten much attention this summer is the Queen’s health and how she’s seemingly had a downturn following the Jubbly. It seems that once she got to Balmoral, her mobility went from bad to worse. They had to cancel the public part of the big welcoming event at Balmoral. The Queen hasn’t been photographed since July 15th. She hasn’t been seen at church in Scotland. There was a lot of fuss about how the Queen would have to exit Balmoral for a few days so she could meet the new prime minister and ask the new PM to form a government. That was supposed to happen in either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle on September 6th. Now it looks like the Queen will force the new PM to fly to Scotland.
Secret plans have been drawn up for the Queen to appoint the new Prime Minister at Balmoral instead of Buckingham Palace in a historic first. The 96-year-old monarch is suffering with her mobility and has been advised to stay put for the September 6 ceremony with Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. The new Prime Minister will make a 1,000-mile round trip to see the Queen at Balmoral for a historic ceremony to seal the transition of power.
Her Majesty, who has been suffering mobility problems, is no longer expected to interrupt her holiday when Tory voters elect Boris Johnson’s replacement for No10. Plans are now under way for Mr Johnson to be joined by either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss and travel to see the Queen on Tuesday, September 6. It would be the first time in living memory the so-called kissing of the hands happens outside London or Windsor.
The current advice issued to the Queen is understood to be based on concerns about her comfort. A final decision on whether she stays put will be announced publicly next week because the outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers need advance notice.
A source said: “The Queen has now been advised not to travel. But obviously no one tells the Queen what to do and ultimately it is her decision, and as we saw when she made a third appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the Jubilee she likes surprises. There are some parts of her role that Prince Charles can do on her behalf but the Queen is adamant that she appoints the Prime Minister. It may not be the best choice to make the Queen travel 1,000 miles there and back for a 48-hour visit when the Prime Ministers can easily get to Balmoral instead.”
I mean, on one side, this plan does make more sense than making a 96-year-old schlep to Windsor just to have her hand kissed. On the other side, it does genuinely look bad. It looks like the Queen’s courtiers are still covering up the exact nature of her ongoing health problems. It looks like they’re hiding a frail and compromised queen. The real “holy sh-t” moment will be if the new PM travels to Balmoral and kisses the Queen’s hand and all of that… and then the palace doesn’t release the proof-of-life photos. That will be a HUGE problem if the Queen refuses to be photographed welcoming the new PM.
PS… This also means that Liz won’t be in Windsor when the Sussexes breeze through town. I tend to believe that also factored into the courtiers’ decision-making too. The Queen’s handlers are currently doing the most to limit the Queen’s time with Prince Harry in particular.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
-
- Queen Elizabeth II signs the Visitor’s Book during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Picture date: Friday July 15, 2022.,Image: 707551679, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
-
- Queen Elizabeth II with Jonathan Jones, Chair of Trustees, during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Picture date: Friday July 15, 2022.,Image: 707551788, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
-
- Queen Elizabeth II with Jonathan Jones, Chair of Trustees, during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Picture date: Friday July 15, 2022.,Image: 707551854, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
-
- Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Picture date: Friday July 15, 2022.,Image: 707551892, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
-
- Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Picture date: Friday July 15, 2022.,Image: 707551923, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
Honestly I think they need to let this old lady retire. She seems to be in worsening health and they can take this time to force the others to take some of her work load, show that times are about to change and let her have her final months-year to herself.
I don’t think she will allow herself to retire. She thinks she was literally chosen by God to be the Queen until she dies.
I don’t know why people assume the Queen wants to retire. She strikes me as the kind of person who will reign until she dies. The only thing she’ll do is continuing to cut back on events.
But she’s not reigning is she? She keeps canceling because she isn’t up to it. Then what was the point of her serving her “whole life’?
@Gabby – you’re correct of course. But I don’t think she sees it that way 🤷🏼♀️
Totally agree. I mean other European monarchs (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain…) retire as well. It’s not like it’s unheard of. But she hangs on because „duty“ all the while some shady courtiers run the monarchy…
Petty Betty’s reason for not stepping down are the scars of the Abdication of Edward VIII, her uncle, and everything her family went through after that.
My husband worked with an older Scottish guy for about 15 years. His whole family was in England- wife, kids, grandkids. But there he was in Texas, working. They asked him about retiring pretty often (he was 65 when they met), and he said his dad had always told him, once you retire you just wait around to die.
He went back to the UK for visa reasons, and then COVID started a few weeks later, and then he was diagnosed with lung cancer, he was gone a year later at 79. I don’t know if he wished he’d had more time with his family. Anyway, that’s what I think of when I see the queen and retiring in the same sentence. She doesn’t know what she’s do if she wasn’t queen.
She doesn’t want to abdicate. Nobody is forcing her to do anything.
I like how the courtiers/sources are just figuring that the Queen would go back to Balmoral after the meeting, so it doesn’t make sense for her to travel to London or Windsor 48 hours. Like there’s no talk of her cutting her vacation short and staying in Windsor. She’s in Balmoral until late September, new government or not.
Scotland is so beautiful whatever f’n Tory wins should be glad to be going there.
Also, Scotland is really close. 40 min flight or so, to Edinburgh. Not an issue for an able bodied, fit person.
Yeah just STOP. This is completely unnecessary pomp and ceremony. Today the energy price cap (maximum charge to consumers for a unit of energy) went up again so annual costs for an average household have gone from the current £1,971 to £3,549 having already gone up 54% in April and now this is an 80% increase on that. We’re heading over £5k next time they raise it three months from now. And that’s for an average household. People are eating ready meals to avoid the cost of turning the cooker on and a nursery near us is in the news for telling parents to put their kids in warm clothes this winter as there is no cap on commercial energy costs and they can’t afford to stay open and heat the building all day.
We have had no government for weeks now (Boris has been busy holidaying and acting for the cameras in Ukraine) and we’re still over a week away form having a new PM. That person needs to get to work, NOT mess around flying to Scotland. We are in crisis and what has previously been announced is a drop in the ocean in the face of the latest increases.
My mother is retired and was weighing up running her small freezer as it allows her to buy discounted food and bulk-cook against the cost of running it. I’m going to be paying my bills and hers this winter. Those of us that are not on the poverty line are already being taxed more as we’re effectively supporting others who can’t afford to eat and heat their homes. I won’t even start on how much I now give to local food banks every month.
Sorry for the rant but I am so angry. The monarchy cost us millions and deliver NOTHING.
This completely unnecessary pomp and ceremony is exactly what the monarchy exists for though.
Republic now!
I mean it’s not unnecessary. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. Unless that changes, this ceremony is required for the peaceful transition of power. It’s really important to have a clear method of transferring power in a democracy. This is what it is in the UK.
Anonymice – the monarchy in the UK is purely ceremonial. A PM taking office will happen whether he or she goes to kiss the queen’s hand or not. The monarch asking someone to form a government is meaningless. If that person is elected, they will become PM no matter what the monarch does.
SarahCS – I completely agree with you. It’s time the queen was retired and the monarchy abolished. It’s obscene that money is being spent on them when they could offload a few paintings or tiaras and fund themselves. Govt money should be spent on those who need it.
That’s my rant over for now. Sorry.
Sarah, thank you for giving us that are not in the UK a good understanding of the terrible effects of the rising fuel/heating costs. Bless you and your sweet mom.
I just wanted to say that I am appalled for you and I’m sorry you’re having to go through this.
Thank you so much for sharing how things really are in England. It’s great to hear from someone there. I can’t believe how much costs are rising. Wishing you the best.
Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. Heaven help you.
There is clearly at least one trustworthy, sympathetic courtier who passes Harry’s messages along to the Queen. Whether she is in Balmoral or London, that would be the person to orchestrate a Harry-Meg pop-in if logistically feasible.
“Kissing of the hand” ceremony? How servile. Do they have to bow down or get down on a knee to do it? And this is thought necessary to run a government? She can’t just tell the person “get to it” on a video chat instead of wasting time, money and resources to fly?
I’m imagining a video chat where the new PM blows a kiss to her hand.
I do not know if they still “kiss hands” but the new leader of the Conservative Party must be formally asked by QEII to form a government in her name.
This can happen in any country as with H.H. Asquith and Edward Vii who was on holiday in France. “Asquith was universally accepted as the natural successor. King Edward, who was on holiday in Biarritz, sent for Asquith, who took the boat train to France and kissed hands as prime minister in the Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz on 8 April.”
If Harry and Meghan weren’t going to be in the UK at the same time, the Queen would be making the trip to Windsor. This is the Palace courtiers trying to keep Harry and Meghan away from the Queen.
@Amy Bee – What you say makes 100% sense but I have a gut feeling this is 100% due to QEII’s physical health which I believe is very bad and rapidly deteriorating.
Given that Liz Truss used to be a republican who once gave a speech about abolishing the monarchy it is beyond parody that she will have to fly hundreds of miles to kiss the Queen’s hand. But then everything about Liz Truss is beyond parody.
Liz Truss’s sense of fashion and style is beyond parody too.
From Ireland, we can’t believe Liz Truss is going to be PM. She’s as thick as mince. She can’t see beyond the next media op.
Maybe someone vaguely smart is plotting in the background. Let vain Liz get trashed in the media and they’ll swoop in a few months later. Are all the Tory Francis Urquharts gone?? 🙂
My concern is for the ordinary citizens in that country who are powerless. Their only option at #10 Downing Street is more of the same, just a different name. The Royal Family has outlived its usefulness if there ever was any. Though they sing God Save the Queen, I pray to God to save the people.
You know what would make the brf shine? How about they get the Crown Estate to sell one of the tiaras–or one that is privately owned. I don’t know if any are owned by Liz personally. Then take that money to fund additional food for food banks. If people are trying to use heat this winter, but then have to starve, the brf should make a bold move. It may take more than one tiara. It might take them selling some private art work. This wouldn’t hurt them at all, but would be a huge boost for them and more particularly to the people.
The only BRF royals who care about The People live in Montecito. Liz Windsor does own some of the jewelry personally, there’s a book about it (The Queen’s Jewels by Leslie Field). She also owns Sandringham and Balmoral personally, so she could take all the food grown/raised there and give it away. But she won’t. William, the one pretending to care about the homeless, is moving in to his third home any day now.
As to the above comment about how you have to have royals for peaceful transition of power? They are govt employees who cost over 600 million a year for a handful of employees. No reason they cannot live in one-room apartments on military bases and all costs could be covered for a few million a year. No reason for all the palaces, multiple homes, and 600 million in costs annually.
ITA. There are SO many jewels in the royal vaults that belong to/were stolen by the Crown.