In pre-pandemic times, Queen Elizabeth rarely missed church on any given Sunday. She was usually at Windsor Castle over the weekends, and she would go to All Saints Chapel every Sunday morning. That’s how we knew that QEII was very sick with a cold back in 2016 and early 2017 – she skipped church, and everyone panicked. Now, during the pandemic, I don’t think QEII was going as regularly as she used to, or as regularly as she would have liked. But I guess it is notable that she skipped church on Sunday:
The Queen was forced to miss church yesterday after spending a night in hospital last week – but wants to resume official duties within days, a royal source has said.
The 95-year-old monarch could carry out some of her engagements this week, though there are no public duties in her diary after she dramatically cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland to mark the 100th anniversary of the partition on doctors’ orders.
Aides insisted that the tests were purely ‘precautionary’ and the sovereign has been resting at Windsor after her stay in King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.
Her priority remains to be able to lead the Royal Family at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow from next week, where more than 120 world leaders including Joe Biden will gather at the Scottish Event Campus from October 31 to November 12.
Palace insiders told The Sun that the Queen missed prayers at Windsor’s All Saints Chapel in Windsor on Sunday. It is thought that Her Majesty received private prayers with a chaplain inside the castle. The head of state is unlikely to be seen this week as she is under orders to carry out only light duties. Investitures are expected to be carried out by other royals.
“It is thought that Her Majesty received private prayers with a chaplain inside the castle…” Why wasn’t she doing that this whole time? She’s obviously friendly with the Windsor chaplain, she could do all of this from the privacy of her own castle. But I guess the Queen enjoys being a congregant, and she probably likes the ritual of going to church, the singing, the sermon, etc.
A few more things – even Richard Kay at the Daily Mail criticized the palace’s attempts to cover up the Queen’s hospitalization. The British papers are also making a really big deal about how the Queen’s appearance at the climate change summit (COP26) on November 1st now “hangs in the balance.” Just cancel her appearance already! Charles, Camilla, William and Kate can handle it, surely. I mean, I know people would expect to see the Queen, but there are already FOUR “senior royals” going to the summit. Why in the world would the Queen need to be trotted out for it?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Gosh this is so grim,like a countdown. What is more shocking is the press acting like she is suppose to live forever not a newly widowed 95 year old lady. They are so crass!
“Received private prayers” sounds like last rights to me. Oy. 😬
I’m not sure how they do it in England, although it must be somewhat similar given the affiliation, but the Anglican church in the US has Eucharistic ministers that go to administer communion to those who cannot make it out to mass. They say prayers and receive the sacrament.
It’s not deaths door thing, it’s quite normal if you can’t make church and are very devout.
If you’ve got something as simple as very bad cold or broken leg and can’t go to church you may ask for it.
Yes, I wonder if she got a breakthrough covid infection. Or if it’s CHF- she certainly has a lot of dependent edema but that could just be from bum valves & varicosities in her leg veins.
Shes ‘in good spirits’ according to the palace. Just like Prince Philip was ‘in good spirits’ in March. Right before he died in May.
I don’t mean to sound insensitive. This is a comment on the dishonesty of the Palace.
Well, good spirits doesn’t mean sound body.
Just as an FYI.
The Queen has done 100 engagements this year.
William has done between 70 and 80.
Kate has done 41.
And they just left for a vacation… I really don’t see a future for this monarchy.
And let’s keep in mind that Kate and William both count phone calls in a way that you don’t see other royals counting. I know the Queen counts them if she has a phone call with a leader from another country or something, but she doesn’t count it in the AM when her personal secretary comes in. Kate counts phone calls and meetings with Jason Knauf (and has for some time) as separate engagements. I fee like every time William said the word “earthshot” he counted it as an engagement.
So that’s WITH them padding their numbers like that…….and counting Wimbledon etc…..Kate is at 41.
Good lord.
The Queen is a symbol of British leadership as well as the former Empire. If she’s not at COP it will serve as a visible sign of the UK’s loss of political and economic standing in the world. That’s why the British establishment is so eager for her to be there. I think there is some recognition that when she dies, the calls for the UK to become a republic will get louder. The Queen is the last vestige of a glorious past in the eyes of those in power.
This is when Charles, BP, or the press needs to be yanking the Keen’s chain. This is ridiculous. Workshy Willie and Duchess Dolittle need to be on every front page over there calling out their laziness and putting the queen in a difficult position. I’ve seen several stories trying to guilt the Sussexes into coming to the UK for the queen’s health, while nada has been said about the how Cambridges hiding away is forcing the queen to work more. Those layabouts wanted the spotlight for themselves and now that they could have it, they disappear. Enough is enough.
It’s not easy being Keen, is it? But if they’re not going to do it for the Queen’s health, they should at least do it for frikkin Earthshot. They just had a “star-studded” to celebrate how green they are. They want to share their greenness in the US next year. And they can’t
show up for the climate change summit next door?
Nope. Petty is a racist, classist, waste. Because of her ego, she continues to reign even though she should have retired 20 years ago to let ish move forward. I don’t think she has much time and honestly, I think Charles is worried about KP constantly leaking and making messes. I think Chuck is going to pull all the money in and will be forcing them to work. This house will fall soon.
I am of the mind that she couldn’t retire even if she wanted to. Look who is at the bat behind her. Charles hasn’t been popular since Diana and William is just too lazy and hateful to be bothered. Nobody has any confidence in the heirs behind her which is why she has to be wheeled out in the first place. The entire monarchy is being held together by her image and even the NYT had a story that neither Charles or William would be able to live up to her. With all that being said, it is disgraceful that the public has the nerve to rage about H&M, when the one they’re actually paying for f*cks off on vacation when the queen was in the hospital.
I’ll really worry about her if Harry, Meghan and the kids come to visit. I do think he’ll come if her health is very poor.
Harry will come to see his gran. I don’t think he’ll bring his family bc they will be attacked. I think CH and BP are hiding that petty is dying. She won’t be doing engagements bc she’s probably very ill. As far as the heirs not being ready or able, that is entirely her and Philip’s fault. They should have held both accountable and made them responsible instead of expecting Harry to fix the problems. This is their doing and this is what happens when you give people praise and adulation based on birth order.
Oh, she didn’t go to church? Now I’m thinking that there could be concerns about covid exposure. Ed Sheeran could have exposed both Will and Kate last Sunday night, and Will was with the Queen a few nights later. Now Kate and Will’s mask wearing in the Heathrow photos makes more sense. Ed may have filled them in that he wasn’t feeling well by Thurs. afternoon.
Agree 100%. They did comment about Covid but it was said in a very odd way, something like “her hospital visit was not related to covid,” not that she tested negative or didn’t have it. It just sounded like some technicality they were using to avoid actively lying about a positive covid test.
Also, those keen PR geniuses would 100% think taking a private plane to a tropical island vacation counts as self-isolating after exposure.
It also explains why W & K are wearing masks at the airport but not nanny Maria.
And?
If she doesn’t go to COP26, that’s when I’ll be concerned but right now, I’m just treating the hospital visit and not going to church as something that happens regularly in a life of a 95 year old.
Because that truly is the life of a 95 year old. We have quite a few in the family. WE pretty much know all the ER staff at this point and communion is delivered on Sundays at noon unless we call to say she’s going elsewhere this week.
This is the way the monarchy ends: “Not with a bang but a whimper.”
I love how this is written, lol, it makes it seem like Ireland was partitioned “on doctor’s orders:”
“ The 95-year-old monarch could carry out some of her engagements this week, though there are no public duties in her diary after she dramatically cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland to mark the 100th anniversary of the partition on doctors’ orders.”
They do this a lot in the tabloids, subject verb confusion, run on sentences that get confused so that a little bit at the end of the sentence that is meant to relate to the beginning of the sentence ends up relating to the middle of the sentence instead. Stuff like “On her special day, the Cambridges celebrated by taking a romantic stroll through a park in Whatevershire where a new playground has recently been installed for Kate’s birthday.” I made that one up but it has the same vibe.
Yes, I wouldn’t consider any of them to be even decent writers. Hacks, every single one.
I think she’ll make it another year or two, max.
I don’t think she’ll make it to the Jubilee
@Steph, same
Here’s a good breakdown of why the British media are making such a big deal about it. The TLDR version is that Barbados is now a republic and it’s an open secret a lot of other West Indies want to declare independence from the Commonwealth. I’d love if my fellow Australians voted out the Liberals and voted in a party that would want us to be a republic too. (I refuse to get over the dismissal of Whitlam).
Yes Charles, William and Kate could do more but they don’t explicitly represent the begone glory days of imperial power and colonialism like QE does. Watching this whole mess unfold really illustrates how sensible it was for Harry and Meghan to leave the institution.
https://youtu.be/_HGVGEK8mHw
My late granny would tell us how proud she felt when we (Trinidad & Tobago) finally sang our own anthem upon gaining independence in 1962, and later having a president in 1976 when we became a republic. I’m so happy for Barbados! PM Mia Mottley is an incredible woman!
Awww thanks for sharing such a beautiful memory of your grandma. I’m so happy for Barbados too! The BRF and government has leeched off stolen land for way too long. It makes my heart sing when countries declare independence.
Hopefully one day, the British elite return the bones of ancestors, cultural artefacts and sacred objects they stole from First Nations people.
I live on the land of Dharug people and sovereignty was never ceded. It always and always will be Aboriginal land.
I think that the Queen believes her blood is “royal” and that she is God’s emissary to the UK. She is dutiful because she’s a true believer. It is possible that the Princess Royal is also a “true believer” in the mission of royalty. I don’t think William cares if he breaks the monarchy. The Prince of Wales will try hard, but his innate narcissism will not win any new recruits to royal-watching. They all have massive egos at a time when most other European royals lead a disciplined life.