Queen Elizabeth has dealt with a lot of big changes in the last year or so. She's experienced the heartbreaking loss of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip. She's had her schedule and life turned upside down during the health crisis.
Now the 96-year-old monarch is being asked to make another big change. Vanity Fair reports that the Queen's doctors have advised her to ease up on her daily alcohol intake. The Queen's schedule has long been discussed and features up to four cocktails a day, depending on what events she has to attend to. Some royal officials have combatted that notion, saying the Queen drinks only one dry martini a night.
Regardless of her previous consumption, she's being asked to give it up as she has a busy autumn ahead, and next year will entail her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
There have been concerns about Queen Elizabeth's health in recent weeks. In some of her public appearances, the Queen has been seen using a cane to get around. Now there's word her medical team is giving the 96-year-old monarch some advice.
"The Queen has been told to give up her evening drink which is usually a martini," a family friend tells Vanity Fair.
"It's not really a big deal for her, she is not a big drinker but it seems a trifle unfair that at this stage in her life she's having to give up one of very few pleasures."
The Queen is known to enjoy dry martinis, like her son Prince Charles. She's also known to enjoy the occasional glass of sweet wine and, on some evenings, a glass of champagne.
Instead, water and soft drinks will quench the Queen's thirst.
"The alcohol has gone, her doctors want to make sure she is as fit and healthy as possible," the source noted.
The Queen has been busy since returning from her extended summer at Balmoral. Her schedule for the remainder of the year isn't supposed to let up until very close to Christmas, unlike the usual three- to four-week window she spends there other years.
Next year, the focus will be on celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne. The celebrations will include a four-day bank holiday in the UK, the usual Trooping the Colour celebrations, and much more. There will also be a live concert at Buckingham Palace called the Platinum Party.
At that point, the then 96-year-old will travel around the UK to celebrate while her family heads celebrations in the Commonwealth. It's set up to be a momentous year, and it's likely that the Queen's doctors just want her in good shape for it.
