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Original poster

Queen to miss Rememberance Day service

565 replies

KenAdams · 14/11/2021 09:22

As she has apparently sprained her back.

I do wish the Palace would be honest about her health (without giving details) rather than setting her up to attend events that they know she won't be at. It can't be good for her, they should just say she's out for a while, which at her age would be completely understandable.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59280608

OP posts:
EdithWeston · 14/11/2021 12:57

I do believe she has hurt her back - the Palace either says nothing, or says something which is the truth (but might not be the whole truth)

I have two pet theories about what might be up, if there is a common underlying cause, but I don't really want to speculate in print about it. I don't read Private Eye, but noted their comment about infection hard to shift

And with a bad back, it may be inadvisable to be manoeuvring in and out of a car, even if it could be done away from cameras inside Buck House/Windsor and the FCO courtyard

SickAndTiredAgain · 14/11/2021 13:02

I thought Camilla looked 'different' somehow - missed the singing.

She did seem a bit shakey.

She is 74. Not terribly old by today’s standards (only 8 years past retirement age for example), particularly for someone who will always have had great healthcare etc, but certainly not young enough for health issues to be surprising.
I’m not saying she is ill of course, but I think with the queen still active at 95 (until very recently), it’s easy to forget that Charles and Camilla are in their mid 70s.

AutumnAlmanack · 14/11/2021 13:04

@alfagirl73 - I know Charles is not that popular, but it is his birthright to be King after his mother, so I think he should be allowed to fulfil that. You never know, he might surprise us! I think W&K will be a very popular King and Queen.

EdithWeston · 14/11/2021 13:04

I think installing Prince Charles as Prince Regent is likely to happen shortly after the Platinum Jubilee (or rather, not before it) assuming that these maladies are transient. If there is a more concerning underlying causes, that might need to be re-visited.

Then with a Regent, she can just do a handful of ceremonial duties such as Remembrance and the Christmas Day Speech. And I bet she'll manage to get to the races too.

alfagirl73 · 14/11/2021 13:06

Charles will be controversial... he is outspoken with some "marmite" views on things; people tend to either love him or hate him. I rather wonder if there may be a plan in place that if things start to go tits up for the monarchy with him as King, he will abdicate and William will step in.

William will be a game changer for the monarchy - bit of a perfect blend between traditional and modern in his approach, and he's still young enough that he'd be around for a long time - provide consistency and stability while giving George a long time to be "trained up". I've been getting the sense that there has been a lot of preparation going on for William and Kate running the show, so I do wonder if there is an expectation that Charles won't be King for very long - either because he's deemed "risky" or he may even want to enjoy his old age without the hassle. I think he'll be King for a while but I get the feeling he won't last long and I suspect William and Kate will be doing a LOT of the work in any event.

LINABE · 14/11/2021 13:09

[quote lollipoprainbow]@Sarcobaleno I agree it must be something serious to make her miss her beloved remembrance Sunday. [/quote]
I agree. I hope she gets better very soon.

EdithWeston · 14/11/2021 13:10

A shock if someone aged 95 dies?

I don't think so

Not shock as in surprise, but rather the rocking of such a settled part of national identity.

My DMum is nearly as old as the Queen, so can remember previous monarchs and singing 'God Save The King' but most of the population can't

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/11/2021 13:10

With a Regent, she can just do a handful of ceremonial duties ...

In fairness she doesn't need a Regent for that - Charles can just stand in for her anyway, and I'd be very surprised if there was any major change at this late stage

As for Camilla not looking too good, maybe it's dawning on her that she'll soon be called on to shoulder a significant amount of work?

alfagirl73 · 14/11/2021 13:10

@AutumnAlmanack Oh I agree Charles should have the right to be King if it's what he wants... and I believe he will be for at least a while. It's how it "goes" that will be the issue. The monarchy is treated as a "business" in many ways and I'd bet money on there having been conversations about its survival going forward - including who is best to run things.

I'm a royalist and I love the tradition etc... I'm the same as anyone who has seen a change of monarch I suppose in that I have my views as to what the next in line will be like. I don't dislike Charles as such, I just don't think he'd make a very good King - happy for him to prove me wrong though.

Rinoachicken · 14/11/2021 13:12

Just seen the photos of them all from today - they do all look unusually preoccupied and solemn - even for this day. More so than previous years I think.

I mean, there have been years where one or the other has been tearful or whatever, but for them all to be simultaneously like that?

Ethelswith · 14/11/2021 13:12

I'm with you there. you can see everyone coming out of the woodwork on TV and it'll be terrible on MN, thread after thread

They'll all get moved to the Royal Family topic (it was set up for that sort of reason, when people got pissed off with all the W&K threads)

amazeandastonish · 14/11/2021 13:14

Wasn't Victoria 91 when she died and still Queen? So there is precedent for continuing to reign into (very) old age. And both Victoria and QE delegated some duties to family members as they got older.

The QM had a golf buggy. The Queen needs a golf buggy. I found that really cool when I was a kid, seeing the wee QM jetting about in hers.

The QM lived for 50 years after her husband so I don't think losing PP has anything to do with the Queen's physical health. Emotional maybe.

WRT Charles looking upset, he may have been thinking of his dad.

HarrisonStickle · 14/11/2021 13:15

I suspect William and Kate will be doing a LOT of the work

That'll be a sight to see.

EdithWeston · 14/11/2021 13:16

I'm guessing "back sprain" is easier and more dignified than "after days of bickering the Queen has finally agreed not to go under medical advice, but she's properly pissed off about it!"

I don't quite agree with you (I think there genuinely is a bad back, but that might not be the whole situation) but I agree completely with the properly pissed off bit, and can just picture it happening!

If there is something badly wrong, there's no way it would have been announced today, for fear of overshadowing Remembrance.

oneglassandpuzzled · 14/11/2021 13:16

@EdithWeston

A shock if someone aged 95 dies?

I don't think so

Not shock as in surprise, but rather the rocking of such a settled part of national identity.

My DMum is nearly as old as the Queen, so can remember previous monarchs and singing 'God Save The King' but most of the population can't

Your mother must be older than the Queen to remember this?
alfagirl73 · 14/11/2021 13:17

They do always look solemn at the Remembrance ceremony but I have to agree they looked a bit more so today. Of course it's difficult when things are changing generally and occasions like today can tend to highlight that. They've not long lost Philip and I'm sure they've spent the last few months watching the Queen struggling with the loss. It must take its toll - royal family or not.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/11/2021 13:17

I think (Charles) will be King for a while but I get the feeling he won't last long and I suspect William and Kate will be doing a LOT of the work in any event

It's a bit of a double edged sword isn't it?
If W&K do too much of the work many will say "Why couldn't we just have had them next?", and if Charles does most of it he'd be expected to pay much more attention to the Commonwealth - which he's widely said to have neglected and which mummy had to step in and ask for him to be made the next Head

ThreeB · 14/11/2021 13:20

@oneglassandpuzzled the Queen did not come to the throne until 1952. Anyone born before then was born under a King.

Bowlofhotslop · 14/11/2021 13:22

@oneglassandpuzzled no she wouldn’t, the queen wasn’t the queen at birth, her father was king until she was in her twenties!

ArblemarchTFruitbat · 14/11/2021 13:22

Your mother must be older than the Queen to remember this?

The Queen didn't become Queen till she was 27, so anyone up to 20 or so years younger than her will remember George VI

My mum is 78 and remembers the Coronation very well.

CaveMum · 14/11/2021 13:23

@oneglassandpuzzled, not really. King George VI died in 1952 so anyone over the age of 70 will have heard “God Save The King”, perhaps only those over the age of 75 or so will remember it.

Rinoachicken · 14/11/2021 13:24

If there is something badly wrong, there's no way it would have been announced today, for fear of overshadowing Remembrance.

I agree with this. She could have sprained her back. She could have had a fall. She could have had a stroke. Any number of things could have occurred.

But there is absolutely no way they would announce anything of significance in the hours before the service.

BalloonSlayer · 14/11/2021 13:25

Your mother must be older than the Queen to remember this?

The Queen was 25 when she became Queen and the words of the national anthem changed. Why does someone have to be older than her to remember God Save the King? My Mum is 6 years younger than the Queen and remembers it clearly.

oneglassandpuzzled · 14/11/2021 13:26

[quote Bowlofhotslop]@oneglassandpuzzled no she wouldn’t, the queen wasn’t the queen at birth, her father was king until she was in her twenties![/quote]
Gotcha!

yomommasmomma · 14/11/2021 13:26

@ItsSnowJokes

I know someone who works for one of the major TV news outlets and they say that her obituary is being updated daily, they expect the news of her passing almost every day. Its to be expected really at 95, but will be a very sad loss to me. We have never known anyone else as our monarch.
This is a new version of "my mate Dave is in the army and....."!!

Who is your source? And how do they have such in-depth knowledge of the queens health?!!