The Queen will miss the National Service of Thanksgiving in St. Paul’s Cathedral after experiencing “some discomfort” at her platinum anniversary celebration, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The monarch skips the service on Friday “with great reluctance” but will still attend a beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle on Thursday night, the palace said.
She is believed to have experienced episodic mobility issues during Thursday’s events.
It is understood that the decision was considered regrettable but sensible due to the length of the journey and the time involved and the physical demands the service would require.
The Prince of Wales will officially represent the Queen at the service on Friday.
In a statement issued Thursday night, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen greatly enjoyed today’s birthday parade and passing by, but experienced some discomfort.
“Taking into account the journey and the activity required to attend tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty has with great reluctance concluded that she will not attend.
“The Queen looks forward to attending tonight’s beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle and would like to thank all those who made today a memorable event.”
It comes after the monarch took the main stage at her historic celebrations on Thursday, where he greeted the audience from the Buckingham Palace balcony surrounded by his family.
Huge cheers erupted from thousands of benevolent packed on to The Mall in central London as the monarch appeared to fly past after Trooping the Color.
Wearing sunglasses, the 96-year-old supreme looked happy as she watched the patriotic scenes and gave wide smiles as she enjoyed the plane show.
It was the second of two appearances from the monarch on the balcony on Thursday – the start of an extended anniversary weekend that marks her 70-year reign.
Earlier, she joined her cousin the Duke of Kent on the famous facade to take a greeting from her soldiers returning from Trooping the Color after the Prince of Wales was her deputy in the parade ground.
Eighteen royals, including the Queen, set out to see the high-profile pass, with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who flanked the monarch.
The queen leaned over to chat animatedly with the four-year-old great-grandson Louis, who at one point covered his ears and reacted with his mouth wide open and his eyes tightly closed as the plane thundered over his head.
The six-minute long-haul flight of more than 70 aircraft included Apache helicopters, Typhoons the Red Arrows and 15 RAF Typhoons flying in the form of number 70, making the Queen smile.
Dressed in a dark dove-blue Angela Kelly coat, which she wore for her official anniversary portrait, and matching hat, the queen held a walking stick and wore the guards’ badge on her coat.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among the guests watching Trooping the Color at Horse Guards from inside the Duke of Wellington’s former office overlooking the parade ground.
They joined more than 30 royals, including Camilla and Kate and the Queen’s extended family, including all of her grandchildren.
It is believed to be the first time Kate and Meghan have met each other in person since the Sussexes left the UK in 2020 to have a new life in America.
The crowds were previously treated to the sight of George, Charlotte and Louis along with Kate and their stepmother Camilla in a wagon train.
While the spectators waved to the young royals, the trio waved back in their first major public outing for an anniversary and first train ride.
The monarch, who has mobility problems, left his usual role to the future king, the Prince of Wales, who inspected the guards in their scarlet tunics and bearskins and acknowledged their greeting.
The nation embraces the extended holiday weekend with pomp, splendor and star-studded festivities that will see celebrities and the public gather in their millions to pay homage to the monarch.
Thousands of well-wishers draped in Union flags, party hats and plastic tiaras flocked to London for the performance.
The queen restricted them on the balcony to fly past to working members of her family, her great-grandchildren from Cambridge and two youngest grandchildren – a step she took after “careful consideration”, the palace said.
This meant that there was no room for the Sussex, who caused a royal crisis by stopping as senior royals, or the Queen’s disgraced second son, the Duke of York.
