Queen, 95, Spent Night In Hospital After Canceling Trip

Oct 22, 2021 by apost team

According to reports coming out of Buckingham Palace on Thursday night, Queen Elizabeth II, 95, is back at Windsor Castle after spending Wednesday night at a private hospital in London. The Thursday night announcement comes after the palace told the public that the monarch had "reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest,” canceling her trip to Northern Ireland.

"Following medical advice to rest for a few days, the Queen attended hospital on Wednesday afternoon for some preliminary investigations, returning to Windsor Castle at lunchtime today, and remains in good spirits,” Thursday's statement read, according to the BBC.

The BBC further reports that the queen was driven to King Edward VII's Hospital in Marylebone, where she was admitted overnight for “practical reasons.”

Following her husband’s death, royal commentators speculated that she would withdraw from some of her public duties, especially since she is nearing her late 90s. But the queen has continued to make appearances in Parliament, welcome prominent figures like Bill Gates and travel.

According to The New York Times, the palace’s earlier announcement on Wednesday is not related to COVID-19 but is a result of overwork. After all, the queen is just returning to public life after quarantining at Windsor castle for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic.

In early October, signs of the queen’s age were on public display when she used a cane while attending a Westminster Abbey service. The Associated Press reported that it was the first time that the monarch has used a cane since her knee surgery in 2003.

Additionally, this is the first time that the queen has been admitted to a hospital since 2013, according to the BBC. At that time, she was suffering from symptoms of the stomach flu.

A day before Buckingham Palace’s announcement that the queen had been admitted to the royals’ private King Edward VII hospital, royal officials said that the monarch had canceled her trip to Northern Ireland after receiving medical advice to rest.

“Her Majesty is in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to visit Northern Ireland, where she had been due to undertake a series of engagements today and tomorrow,” Buckingham Palace said, according to The New York Times. The palace added that the monarch “looks forward to visiting” Northern Ireland in the future. In 2016, when the queen was last there, she visited the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim with her late husband, Prince Philip.

“To have engagements day after day after day, where you’ve got to remember people’s names and think of something to say, that takes a lot of energy,” said Penny Junor, a royal historian, in an interview with The Times. “It’s like going to a wedding every day.”

The Times reports that the queen’s former aides have confirmed that this isn’t the first time that the monarch has canceled a trip due to illness. In fact, she no longer goes on international trips, preferring to let Prince Charles, 72, go in her stead.

“Her private secretaries are going to look to space out her engagements so she’s working steadily rather than flat-out,” said former press secretary to the queen Dickie Arbiter in an interview with The Times.

“She has been visible, she has been energetic and she is 95. She is entitled to feel tired."

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The BBC reports that October has also been a busy month for the monarch, as she had at least 16 formal events, excluding the now-canceled two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

On Tuesday, the queen even hosted a Global Investment Summit, where she welcomed tech entrepreneurs, financiers and politicians. Pictures from the event show her greeting U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and other prominent figures like Bill Gates. 

The past few years have been difficult for the queen. Not only did she lose her husband of more than 70 years, but the royal family has also been embroiled in a series of scandals — not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle appeared on a controversial television special with Oprah Winfrey, which the couple used to criticize the royal family.

CBS News reports that the queen’s most recent health scare was in 2017 when she suffered from a bad cold and had to cancel a New Year’s Day church visit. Otherwise, however, the queen is understood to be in good health, especially for her age.

It still remains to be seen whether the queen will continue with her next scheduled trip, which is to the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow.

The meeting has been called the most important climate conference since the 2015 Paris agreement. Besides the queen, investors and state representatives from nearly every country on the planet will be in attendance. 

The BBC reports that upon the queen’s return to Windsor Castle, she resumed some light duties and was in “good spirits."

We wish the queen well and hope that she feels back to her old self soon. What do you think about her decision to cancel the trip? Let us know — and pass this on to friends and family members.