Queen Elizabeth II to miss Jubilee service amid ‘discomfort’
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Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen would not attend a Thanksgiving church service on Friday due to "some discomfort" after Thursday's events.
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Queen Elizabeth II to miss Jubilee service
Queen Elizabeth II walked cautiously onto the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday, drawing wild shouts from the tens of thousands who had gathered to join her for the commencement of four days of ceremonies marking her 70th year on the throne.
Her fans were decked out in Union Jack flags, party hats, and plastic tiaras. Some had slept overnight in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the 96-year-old Queen, whose visits are becoming increasingly uncommon, as well as catching a glimpse of the "Trooping the Color" – a military procession that has honored each sovereign's formal birthday since 1760.
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The vast audience erupted in jubilation, one of the first large gatherings in the United Kingdom since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“Everybody has got the same mission,” said Hillary Mathews, 70, who had come from Hertfordshire, outside London. “All the horrors that have been going on in the world and in England at the moment are put behind us for a day, and we can just enjoy really celebrating the queen.”
Elizabeth, who became Queen at the age of 25, is Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the first to surpass the seven-decade mark.
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Nonetheless, age has begun to catch up with her after a lifetime of good health. Buckingham Palace confirmed late Thursday that the Queen would not attend a Thanksgiving church service on Friday due to "some discomfort" after Thursday's events. The Queen has opted to skip the service at St. Paul's Cathedral with "much reluctance", according to the palace.
In recent months, the Queen has had difficulty moving around and has opted out of several public appearances. But Elizabeth took part Thursday night in lighting a chain of ceremonial beacons at Windsor Castle as planned.
The Jubilee celebrations continue throughout the weekend, and it was unclear how the news would affect Jubilee events on Saturday and Sunday. The palace says “the queen greatly enjoyed” Thursday’s events — and it showed.
She relished the occasion. She smiled as she talked with her great-grandson Prince Louis, 4, who occasionally covered his ears as 70 military planes, old and new, flew low over the palace to greet the queen. A formation of Typhoon fighter planes flying in the shape of the number 70 was part of the six-minute show.
