Elizabeth II's Jubilee: Queen absent on day 2 of celebrations
Steph Deschamps / June 3, 2022
Cheered by the crowd yesterday Thursday on the balcony of Buckingham, Queen Elizabeth II, whose health is fragile, will miss because of some discomfort the religious service celebrated this Friday for her 70 years of reign, a longevity without precedent for the monarchy.
The Queen enjoyed the birthday parade today (Thursday) and the flypast very much but felt some discomfort, Buckingham Palace said.
Taking into consideration the travel and activity required for the Thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty reluctantly concluded that she would not participate, he added.
The announcement reignites concerns about the declining health of the ultra-popular 96-year-old sovereign, who has difficulty walking and whose official appearances have become increasingly rare since a night in hospital in October.
Last Thursday night, the monarch still participated in a ceremony at Windsor Castle, from which she lit a huge sculpture of a 21-meter high tree in front of Buckingham Palace. At the same time, thousands of lights were lit throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries in her honor.
She thus closed the first of the four days of her jubilee, during which she appeared twice on the balcony of the palace to the delight of tens of thousands of spectators, smiling and dressed in a dove blue outfit, leaning motionless on a cane.
Having ascended to the throne at the age of 25 on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father George VI, she was first accompanied by the Duke of Kent, a cousin, for the passage of the annual Salute to the Colors military parade, bringing together more than 1,200 soldiers and hundreds of musicians.
She returned to the balcony shortly afterwards for a flyover, this time accompanied by 17 members of the royal family who have official duties and their children.
The mimics of his great-grandson Louis, 4, the youngest of Prince William's children, made the audience melt.