Queen returns to public duties for Remembrance Sunday service
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is set to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony at London's Cenotaph memorial as the nation remembers its war dead, her first public engagement since being advised to rest by doctors just over two weeks ago.
Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday that the 95-year-old
monarch was well enough to attend.
"As in previous years, Her Majesty will view the
Service from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
building," the palace statement read.
The Queen's eldest son, Prince Charles -- who turned 73 on
Sunday -- will later lay a wreath on his mother's behalf, as he has done at
each Remembrance Day event since 2017.
Charles' wife, Camilla, will also attend the service, as
will the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and
Princess Anne, among other family members.
After the service, Prince William will take the salute at
the March Past of veteran organizations on Horse Guards Parade.
Earlier this week, Charles provided an update on his
mother's health during an engagement in south London. He reassured a curious
bystander that she was "alright, thank you" in response to their
question, according to multiple British newspapers.
It has been more than three weeks since the Queen attended a
public event -- when she hosted a reception for business leaders at Buckingham
Palace ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. The day after, the
sovereign abruptly canceled an imminent trip to Northern Ireland and spent a
night in hospital for what a spokesman described at the time as
"preliminary investigations."
Since then and following her doctor's orders, the royal
household has scaled back her diary significantly. She has been mostly resting
at Windsor, undertaking a few light duties by video link and phone.
She did however manage to head off for a long-planned
weekend away, according to a royal source last week. Her mini-break had been in
the diary for some time, with doctors giving her the all-clear to go to
Sandringham by helicopter, according to The Mirror newspaper. She was
understood to be traveling to her country estate to make preparations to
welcome her family over Christmas, the report added.
Before that, Elizabeth was seen driving herself around her
Windsor estate, in what will have been a reassuring sight to many
royal-watchers.
While she may initially have been reluctant to slow down a
fortnight ago, she made her intention to show up at the Cenotaph known by
ensuring it was mentioned in the palace's initial announcement.
Sunday's commemorative event is one of the most significant
dates in the Queen's calendar each year. As head of the nation, part of her
role is to be a unifying symbol for the country. She understands she is
expected to represent the nation, and it's a duty she has long devoted herself
to entirely.
Another reason the monarch attaches such importance to the
engagement lies in her role as commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces;
she also lived through World War II while still a young princess. She knows
that if she didn't appear as she always has, her absence would be felt.
Despite ensuring her presence on Sunday, the Queen is
heeding recent guidance from medical professionals to slow down. In Thursday's
statement, the palace added that: "Mindful of her doctors' recent advice,
The Queen has decided not to attend the General Synod Service and Opening
Session on Tuesday 16th November. The Earl of Wessex will attend as
planned."
The Queen missing the service of the General Synod, the
Church of England's legislative body, in addition to the climate conference in
Glasgow, are clear signs that the monarch will likely continue reducing her
schedule as the year draws to a close.
"Moving forwards, especially as we move into the winter
with Covid, we will see the Queen doing more zoom calls, less in-person
meetings," CNN historian and royal expert Kate Williams previously said.
"But I think that as soon as the winter is over, she will be keen to get
back on her feet, back out there meeting people. It's just whether or not the
doctors are going to agree with it."
The royal family undertakes a number of engagements focused
on recognizing the services of the British Armed Forces and commemorating the
sacrifices of the nation's servicemen and women in world wars and other
conflicts.
On Saturday, Charles and Camilla led other members of the
royal family at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal
Albert Hall in London.
The Duchess of Cornwall also represented the family when
visiting the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday for
Armistice Day. Continuing a tradition begun in 1928, thousands of small wooden
crosses, paper poppies and other tributes were laid in memory of fallen
soldiers. The duchess viewed them before observing a two-minute silence.
She also visited the grave of the Unknown Warrior within the
abbey and laid flowers -- a custom established by the Duke of Edinburgh in
years gone by.
CNN has launched Royal News, a new weekly dispatch bringing
you the inside track on the royal family, what they are up to in public and
what's happening behind palace walls.
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