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Queen Elizabeth II royals

‘Increasingly frail’ Queen Elizabeth unlikely to be ‘visible’ during the Jubbly

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Two weekends ago, the British papers were getting briefed by Buckingham Palace aides about what exactly Queen Elizabeth would “do” during her Platinum Jubbly. It was widely expected that the Queen would appear on the fakakta balcony for Trooping the Colour on June 2nd, but BP aides said a week ago that the Queen’s presence on the balcony is “by no means guaranteed.” Once again, I genuinely wonder if Buckingham Palace is wheelchair-accessible, especially given that it’s a massive construction site right now. So I still believe that the Queen’s presence on the balcony is in question, and I still believe that they just should have changed all of the Jubbly plans to make it easier for the Queen to attend in the comfort of a chair or a wheelchair. According to Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair, Trooping seems to be the only thing the Queen is hellbent on doing though.

Over the course of the four-day weekend, a number of events are planned to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years of service. The Derby, one of the monarch’s favorite racing events, takes place on Saturday, June 4th and in the evening Buckingham Palace will play host to the Platinum Party at the Palace.

On Sunday, June 5th, the Jubilee kicks off while the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in the capital. It was announced that the Gold State Coach, which transported the Queen to her coronation and on her previous Jubilees, will lead the pageant. It will be first time it has been seen on the streets of London in 20 years. Instead of carrying the Queen, it will showcase original footage from the Queen’s Coronation Day in the coach windows. Sources close to the Queen say it is unlikely she will ride in a carriage again because stepping up into the carriage and travelling in it would be too difficult for her.

While the schedule is being finalized and London prepares for four days of celebrations, courtiers planning the event have had to come up with a number of contingency plans because of the Queen’s health. The 96-year-old monarch suffers from mobility issues and some days struggles to walk. While she has been seen in public using a stick to support her, she is said not to want to appear in public in a wheelchair.

Sources close to the Queen say that the monarch is “increasingly frail” after contracting COVID-19 earlier this year and suffering from various health problems, including a back injury she sustained at the end of last year. According to one insider, “All I know is that it’s far from certain that the Queen will be visible over the four days of the Jubilee. She absolutely intends to be there for Trooping and the Service of Thanksgiving, but there’s a question mark over her attending the Derby and a number of other events. She wants to protect her image, that’s very important to her. She is very much counting on her family to support her.”

[From Vanity Fair]

“She wants to protect her image, that’s very important to her…” I wish the Queen would stop with that line of thinking, and I wish her advisors would say “you’re being ridiculous.” This is not some temporary setback either, she’s had mobility issues for seven months now, and it’s likely to get worse and worse, given that she’s “increasingly frail.” She couldn’t even make it to the State Opening of Parliament, for goodness sake, and they previewed her appearance much the same way they’re doing here for the Jubbly. They’re doing this HUGE Jubbly thing and it will look worse if the Queen pulls out at the last minute, which she’s likely to do, in my opinion. As I’ve said before… they could make it up as they go along. They could do another Trooping at Windsor Castle. They could do a Jubbly thanksgiving service at St. George’s in Windsor. It would all be much easier on her. So why aren’t they?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.