The queen spent a night in hospital this week,

[MrsLargeEmbodied]

stoic lady

The pantomime was during the week of the state giving thanks to key workers for their efforts during covid . The RF performed this function for the state. I don't know how they decided who would do the train journey to all nations but W and K ended up doing it. I'd imagine as the pantomime was a way of saying thanks to key workers families too and there would be a desire for publicity, the RF would be expected to provide senior representation and connect with children and families - so you're looking at Queen, W and K, or E and S - that's what I meant by a mix of cab rank rule and a guess who matrix

@myrtleWilson the RF got very bad publicity for the pantomime attendance. Because pantomimes were generally not allowed at that point. So lots of people with young children were unhappy that their children went to a pantomime when other children couldn't.
Anyway, whether someone had to go or not, it did not need any briefing or prep. Hair and clothes and get into the helicopter or car taking you there.

But thats my point @julieca there are some engagements that the RF get flack for which aren't of their doing. C&C similarly got criticised for the trip to Greece. I don't know how the protocol works between government requests and the RF but I can imagine there are very few times the RF can say a flat no - they may be able to say 'Not the Queen for this one but we'll send the Duke of Kent' but probably can't say (too often) "Boris, you've lost your mind, bugger off we're not doing that"

I didn't make any comment on briefings regarding the pantomime trip - but in general the preparation and briefings required will flex in line with the event - so yes the pantomime required little prep whereas an overseas trip will require much more prep (from the royal household not just the principals) around politics, custom, local issues etc. A foot put wrong can cause problems - see the balls up around the wrong clothes being worn in the Solomon Islands. I use this example rather than PP much publicised moments of offence as there was so much protocol around the colour of William's shirt etc.

@myrtleWilson yes the engagements the Queen goes on are more likely to need briefings e.g. meeting heads of state. The ones Andrew went on e.g. golf and dinners, not really.
Apart from the Head, they do get to pick and choose what they do. You can see they do. Because you get Anne do lots of worthy engagements and her brother historically did very little and the ones he did were mainly fun things. Before the whole sex abuse stuff, they were on an equal footing, yet Anne and Andrew clearly did choose what they did.

Thanks @Roussette

Interestingly (and this is taking us off topic) I just had a look at Andrew's engagements before he was fired stepped back from royal duties. In a few of them the following sentence is included "Mrs Amanda Thirsk was in attendance". She was Andrew's private secretary and reached a settlement to leave the RF in January 2020 (she then temporarily headed up his business venture) I've not seen (although I've not checked to be fair) references to other private secretaries in attendance. Perhaps she was on gardening leave in between the Maitlis interview and settlement in January and therefore not attending these events as part of royal household but as a direct private employee of Andrew??

@myrtleWilson that is really interesting. Maybe she was his partner?

Just googling and it says the Queen sacked her.

He is awful.

Couldn't agree more about Nichilas Witchell. He's a vile man who gets the tv turned off in our house.

Yes I think she was sacked/asked to step down after the interview but that process didn't officially conclude until January 2020 but she was clearly travelling with Andrew on business between interview and her reaching a settlement. Private secretaries aren't usually mentioned in the circular so we can assume she wasn't travelling in the capacity - perhaps another example of Andrew failing to listen to anyone else and insisting on doing things his way - I can imagine a conversation going

Queen (or her representative) Whose idea was it for Andrew to do this interview?
Andrew (or his representative) Well, Andrew felt it was a good idea but the driving force was Amanda
Queen: Well Amanda has shown very poor judgement - she'll need to leave
Andrew: No
Queen: I insist
Andrew: Fine, I'll sack her as my private secretary but we'll have to pay her off
Queen: Right, crack on

Andrew on phone to Amanda: Sorry, I've got to sack you from the royal household as my private secretary as HRH says your judgement is flawed vis a vis that chat with Emily but I've got a cunning plan to employ you directly from my own funds so alls hunky dory...

@julieca

The government directed the RF to attend a pantomime? Really?? Yes the meetings with heads of state tend to be government-directed. These are ones the Queen tend to do although other royals do get involved. The kind of engagements the Queen does will need briefings. But not the other types.

Taken from most recent Court Circular -

The Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, this morning visited the St. John Ambulance Training Centre, Harry Crook Centre, Raleigh Road, Bristol, and was received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County and City of Bristol (Mrs. Peaches Golding).
What briefing is needed apart from who different people are. Maybe a very short brief on St Johns Ambulance Service.

His Royal Highness afterwards presented The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service to Mothers for Mothers, New Fulford Centre, Gatehouse Avenue, Bristol.
Short brief on what the award is. But he is presenting it, that is all.

The Duke of Gloucester this afternoon visited Bristol Water, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, to celebrate their One Hundred and Seventy Fifth Anniversary.
Short brief on who Bristol Water are and maybe a few intelligent sounding questions to ask.

The Princess Royal was present at the Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Major Lord Patrick Beresford which was held at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London SW1, today.
No briefing necessary unless she has no idea who he is.

Her Royal Highness, Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Corps of Signals, this afternoon visited 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
Very minimal briefing

By the way above engagements are pretty standard. Anne does loads of worthy engagements. Andrew always did fun things like going to golf clubs and dinners. Queen does a mixture of worthy and clearly government engagements. William and Catherine do little and have a fair amount of phone or zoom calls as engagements unless it is a fun thing. Charles does some worthy stuff as above.
The Queen and Anne are the only ones though who really do the work. I would be happy if Anne was going to be our new Queen. She seems to be cast in the same mode as the queen.

I agree. I think Anne would be a wonderful Queen. I’d rather have her than Charles quite frankly.

I think a lot of people would. Apart from Anne herself no doubt

Just looking at Court Circular. Last Royal engagement William did was the 17th of October. He is very workshy. Even his resting 95-year-old grandmother has done more.

@Roussettemaybe she wouldn't. But Anne already does a fair bit. And not the fun engagements either. She is the one opening factories or visiting what sounds like dull stuff. Andrew, William and Catherine seem to grab all the fun stuff.

"What briefing is needed apart from who different people are. Maybe a very short brief on St Johns Ambulance Service."

DoK has been Grand Master of the UGLE for half a century, and does about 20 Freemason engagements a year, so probably knows everything there is to know about SJA.

Last Royal engagement William did was the 17th of October

I fully agree it's poor, but who'd have any influence to change things when he and Kate can apparently do exactly as they like as long as they avoid serious scandal?

Advisers don't matter since they can be ignored/sacked, at 95 and with health issues the Queen's probably about given up, Charles has absolutely no moral authority to tell anyone to do anything, and the rest of the family are "junior" to W&K so can safely be brushed aside

Someone once said the RF worry a lot about how they appear ... personally I'd say they'd do better to worry about how they ARE

I agree. I think Anne would be a wonderful Queen. I’d rather have her than Charles quite frankly

Would she though? People forget that she's more Philip than Elizabeth, and we'd soon have King Peter, who would be at least as disastrous as Charles.

Anne is hardworking and willing to do unglamorous engagements. She also has not been involved in any scandals. Yes, she was outspoken with media when young, but that was decades ago. She would be way better than Charles.

I just read that aides have said the Queen will most likely be at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday as she regards that as one of her most important duties. But not at the concert. I think that's sensible.

The service at the Albert Hall involves climbing lots of stairs, so maybe that gives some weight to the arthritis/ bad hip theory 🤷‍♀️

No lift at the Albert Hall? It's years since I've been there; however , I'm sure the Queen could rustle up a sedan chair.

There are lifts at the Albert Hall. The Queen would not need to climb stairs.

Yes, there are lifts in the Royal Albert Hall eddiemairswife

There are steps in the Royal Box though, and of course the Queen's expected to sit at the front:

This is a quote from the Telegraph report which suggests reasons for her not going to the Albert Hall.

The Queen's presence would have been likely to require navigating stairs as well as being on show for the cameras for a prolonged period of time.

I wonder if there are stair lifts at Buckingham Palace and Windsor.

So she may not be well enough to be on show for more than a few minutes.