After months of concerns about Queen Elizabeth's health, sources close to Buckingham Palace say that they are moving forward with a public strategy that won't see the Queen appearing at events as much.
It's been about six months since the Queen started missing out on events. There was even an overnight hospital stay in October 2021 that had many concerned. Since then, the Queen has had mobility issues and struggled to attend many events. Decisions about her attendance have started coming down to the moment.
Buckingham Palace staff are reportedly building their strategy around this being a new normal. It raises more questions about the Queen's health and how the rest of the royal family's schedules will be reconfigured by this major change.
After months of making last-minute decisions about Queen Elizabeth's attendance at a number of major events, Buckingham Palace is adopting a new strategy when it comes to when she should be expected.
"The assumption must now be that the Queen will not be present at events," a source close to the palace tells the Daily Mail.
"If Her Majesty does attend, it will be decided on the day and she will be accompanied by another member of the Royal Family."
This is a departure from how things have been done for decades now. The Queen's calendar is regularly planned out months ahead of time. The public is told about her attendance at certain events weeks ahead of time. Though the palace is trying to position this as an even more special moment for the occasions in which she does appear, everyone is aware that the soon-to-be 96-year-old monarch is slowing down.
This shift will put more on the plate of the heir, 73-year-old Prince Charles. The Prince of Wales stood in for Queen Elizabeth at the Maundy Thursday service, marking the first time in 52 years that she missed the event. She didn't appear because of continued mobility issues, though she has continued her virtual engagements.
There's continued hope that this lightened schedule will allow her to make some special appearances during her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. The royal family will be representing the Queen at a number of celebrations around the UK.
In the wake of their chaotic royal tour in the Caribbean, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been doing more behind-the-scenes work. Charles is relying on support from his siblings in this moment, with Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Wessex doing more appearances.
Though there's been some mystery around the Queen's status, she hasn't shied away from discussing it at appearances. From her comment at an event that she couldn't move to her recent comments about having COVID, the monarch isn't denying she's had a tough go of things.
"It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn't it, this horrible pandemic?" she remarked during one virtual event.
There's a lot of curiosity as to what happens next for the monarchy, but if history's taught them anything, it's that these kinds of radical shifts cannot be predicted. How they are handled is what the world watches, and the reality is that one day the monarchy will be forced to handle crises without Elizabeth.
