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Every summer sees the Queen host a number of garden parties at Buckingham Palace, as well as one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. It was announced previously that while the parties would be going ahead, the Queen would not be attending.

Her Majesty has faced mobility issues that also led to her having to pull out of attending several Platinum Jubilee events.  At her annual garden parties, the Queen is usually required to stand and walk for over an hour as she greets guests and it’s believed that the 96-year-old would currently struggle to do this.

Health fears were further fuelled earlier today after pictures emerged of the Queen meeting with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon. The monarch’s hands appeared to be a dark purple colour, with an expert predicting it could be the result of a number of health issues.

A statement from the Palace said: “Her Majesty The Queen will be represented by other Members of the Royal Family at this year’s Garden Parties, with details on attendance to be confirmed in due course.”

Prince Charles could be seen stepping in for his mother at today’s event, with Princess Anne at his side. The Queen travelled up to Edinburgh with her son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

The party will see the royals recognise the people who have made positive contributions to communities in Scotland.

both the State Opening of Parliament in early May and the Easter Sunday Service at St George’s Chapel the month before were missed by the Queen.

More recently, she chose to take a backseat during June’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and has been pictured using a walking stick at most events in recent months.

GP Giuseppe Aragona told the Metro the dark colouration of the Queen’s hands could be caused by a number of issues, including: “A lack of circulation, frail skin, exposed veins, bruising, a leakage of blood to the tissue beneath the skin causing the colour.

“It could be cyanosis which occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the blood.”

Prince Charles’ appearance in the absence of the Queen reflects the Prince stepping up to take on a more prominent role as he prepares to accede to the throne.

The Prince of Wales read out the Queen’s Speech in the Opening of Parliament last month, after the Queen pulled out citing mobility issues.

Charles has found himself embroiled in controversy more recently. 

Speaking privately, the Prince reportedly described the Government’s plan to ship illegal migrants to Rwanda as “appalling”.

It also later emerged that the Prince had accepted €3 million delivered in bags stuffed with banknotes from Qatar’s former Prime Minister and billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

While legal, Prince Charles has always maintained that he never personally had any involvement in the details of fundraising for his charities, and Royals are banned from accepting gifts of money in connection with an official engagement or duty under the royal gift policy.

Meghan Markle’s biograph Omid Scobie praised Charles for the former, saying: “While there is an argument that the prince needs to tone down his political views as a future king, I have always found it admirable that, despite the constrictions of his role, he has been unafraid to address issues that others consider too political.”

However, the controversy around questionable donations represented a much bigger problem for Mr Scobie, and one that meant Charles had “well and truly blown it” when it came to his public perception. 

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