While the PM and royals joined veterans at Cenotaph, the Queen could not attend the Cenotaph service after she sprained her back. According to a statement, she made the decision to miss the ceremony with deep regret this morning. Reportedly, the 95-year-old monarch is sad that she was unable to attend the celebration. The Queen's firm aim was to take part in the service after taking time off from her duties for health reasons.
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The Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Boris Johnson were among those who laid wreaths at the war memorial as the country went silent for two minutes at 11 a.m. for the National Service of Remembrance. Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all attended as planned.
With great regret!
After her hospitalization last month, the Remembrance Sunday service would have been her first public appearance. Remembrance Sunday is when the Queen, who has dedicated her life to service, pays her tribute to those who served. It is a setback to those gathered for the ceremony on a grey November morning. Buckingham Palace released a statement today morning and said,
The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.
Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service.
The monarch's back strain is said to be unrelated to the latest medical advice to rest. Her injury is thought to have occurred lately, and the impact of a car trip and duration of standing was a concern. A royal insider further commented,
It is obviously incredibly unfortunate timing, and nobody regrets the Queen's absence today more deeply than Her Majesty herself.
The Queen is deeply disappointed to miss the engagement which she regards as one of the most significant engagements of the year.
Previous misses
The monarch, who was a teenager during WWII, is the leader of the armed forces. During her reign, the Queen has only missed six Cenotaph ceremonies: four times when on abroad tours and twice when she was pregnant with her two youngest children in 1959 and 1963. The Queen will remain at Windsor Castle today. Further, she is expected to resume her minor official activities next week as planned. She returned to Windsor Castle on Tuesday after a long-awaited weekend at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk. She was seen driving her automobile near Windsor Castle last week, in a location where she is known to walk her Corgi dogs.
