Queen Elizabeth Pulls Out Of Event Due To New Back Injury

Nov 16, 2021 by apost team

Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning monarch of England, and nothing has so far stopped her from carrying out all of her royal duties, no matter what circumstances were thrown her way. Despite such a difficult past year for the royal family, the queen has continued to go above and beyond to carry out all of her responsibilities and see over all of the members of the royal family. 

She went through her unfortunate share of hardships during 2021, as her longtime husband, Prince Philip, passed away, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their official publicized departure from the family. With the couple's departure, Harry and Meghan's duties as active members of the royal family were forced to be redistributed to other members, with the queen making all the big decisions and having the final say.

It's safe to say that the queen has had to deal with several overwhelming emotions throughout the past few months, and it seems as if health problems are now adding to her already significant burden. While she was recently still up and about and holding strong despite needing to use a cane, the queen ended up canceling her appearance at the Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph.

Remembrance Day is an important British memorial day first established after the First World War. It is meant to honor all those soldiers and servicemen and women who have died in the line of duty and remains an important event in Britain until this day. Part of the Remembrance Day Service is the traditional vigil at the Cenotaph, which includes the laying of wreaths by politicians and the royal family. For the sixth time during her long reign, Elizabeth has missed this event.

It became known early Sunday morning that Queen Elizabeth would not make it to this year's Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph. In a message sent to news outlets across the country, Buckingham Palace officials announced the sad news:

"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.

As in previous years, a wreath will be laid on Her Majesty's behalf by the Prince of Wales.

His Royal Highness, along with the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra will be present at the Cenotaph today as planned."

It seems the decision not to attend was made at the last moment, although this should not be a surprise. A spokesperson of Buckingham Palace had previously announced that Elizabeth "was determined to attend the ceremony with her presence being non-negotiable." Having formerly served herself during World War 2, the queen has always felt a strong connection to the armed forces.

The Sun's royal expert Dickie Arbiter also explained that the queen feels very strongly about the service and her role: 

"I believe being at the Cenotaph is as important to her as her Christmas message. Being Commander-in-Chief is not something she would wish to miss - being Commander-in-Chief of past and present forces. It's important to her that she is there."

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The Remembrance Day Service was not the only event Elizabeth has missed over the last weeks.

In October, the monarch canceled a scheduled trip to Northern Ireland, as the Irish Times reported. A spokesperson announced that "the Queen has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days. Her Majesty is in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to visit Northern Ireland [...]. The Queen sends her warmest good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland, and looks forward to visiting in the future."

Soon after canceling her trip, the monarch was hospitalized for a few days, as a precaution. Buckingham Palace announced that doctors had warned the queen to take it easy and rest for at least two weeks following her brief stint at the hospital. Only light, desk-based duties were allowed. 

Royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti noted that the queen has been handing over more and more of her duties to other royal family members and would likely continue to do so in the future. 

"She is somebody who has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and energy to her service as the monarch. Now she is handing some of it over to family but that is not necessarily new. She has been doing this for some time, spreading out the work more across the family."

While it is sad the queen did attend the memorial service or her other engagements, it is good to know that she prioritizes her health and well-being after the turbulent last years for the royal family.

We wish her majesty a speedy and hopefully complete recovery! Do you have an equivalent to Remembrance Day in your country? Tell us your thoughts and pass this along.