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Queen Elizabeth II was notably absent from multiple Platinum Jubilee events due to her “episodic mobility issues.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey explained the decision had to do with minimizing the distress the citizens of the British monarch might feel if she stumbled.
“She would not want to stumble – not for her own sake but for the distress it would cause other people,” Lacey told People magazine.
However, her absence was even felt at events she did attend. Queen Elizabeth II did not ride in the parade for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, choosing instead to remain on the balcony of Buckingham Palace the entire time.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II prepares to touch the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting of the Principal Beacon outside of Buckingham Palace in London.
(Steve Parsons-Pool)
PRINCE LOUIS, 4, GOES VIRAL AGAIN DURING QUEEN ELIZABETH’S PLATINUM JUBILEE PAGEANT
“In all the years I did the Queen’s Birthday Parade, it was Her Majesty the Queen there. To not have Her Majesty arriving was poignant and the fact that she went out onto the balcony was lovely,” Bill Mott, a former garrison sergeant major of London District who ran Trooping Colour for the Golden and Diamond Jubilees, told the outlet.
“I thought in my heart, how many more times am I going to see Her Majesty like that? It was quite sad for a lot of reasons. I know the Platinum Jubilee is meant to be a wonderful occasion and something to mark 70 years, but it was tinged with sadness for me,” Mott added. “It’s the end of a very powerful era. How much longer are we going to be blessed with her?”
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, stand on the balcony of the Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade in celebration of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
(Chris Jackson/Pool via Reuters)
The royal family set out to reassure everyone that the queen was doing fine after announcing she would not be attending the Service of Thanksgiving.
“Yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and she had had a lovely, lovely time,'” an attendee at London’s Guildhall recalled Kate Middleton revealing on Friday, according to PA News Agency.
After missing a handful of events, Queen Elizabeth II made a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles stand on a balcony during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, marking the end of the celebrations.
(Hannah McKay)
At the end of the Platinum Jubilee, the queen did publicly acknowledge her absence throughout the weekend.
“While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family,” she said.