Queen needs break from royal drama amid health concerns says expert

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The Prince of Wales has been making regular morning visits to the Queen at Balmoral Castle, it has been claimed. While these visits could be seen as normal given both Her Majesty and Prince Charles are currently spending time in Scotland, one royal expert said they are “highly unusual” for the royals.

Royal author Ingrid Seward told The Sun: “It’s highly unusual for Prince Charles to make these kinds of impromptu visits to see his mother.

“But Charles is a very thoughtful person — and who else can she rely on now Prince Philip has gone?

“Everyone thinks they normally see each other all the time, but they don’t.

“They often blame it on the geography because everyone is scattered all around the country.”

This fuels concerns for the monarch’s health, as the 96-year-old has been experiencing episodic mobility issues since the autumn.

The Queen first sparked fears among royal fans on October 20, when she pulled out of a planned trip to Northern Ireland scheduled to mark the nation’s centenary.

At the time, Buckingham Palace said the monarch had been advised by her doctors to rest for a few days.

This came after the Queen had carried out several engagements in the first half of the month, travelling between Scotland, England and Wales to attend events in person.

During some of these visits, the Queen was seen using a light walking stick for “comfort”.

After scrapping the Northern Ireland trip, the monarch did not carry out any other engagements outside of palace walls until well after the end of 2021.

Nevertheless, she carried on with her duties as head of state, meeting foreign leaders and dignitaries in person and via video link and dealing with the Government’s daily red boxes.

This year, the monarch has attended a number of in-person engagements outside of her residences, including the memorial service for her late husband Prince Philip in March, the RAF flypast on June 2 and the launch of the Elizabeth Line in May.

Between late June and early July, she also carried out the traditional Holyrood Week, during which she worked from her official residence north of the border, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Despite her desire to carry on with her work, the Queen has been forced at times to take a step back and be represented by members of her family.

Most poignantly, in May Prince Charles delivered for the first time the Queen’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament.

Most recently, upon taking up residence at Balmoral Castle, the monarch decided to attend the traditional welcome ceremony to her Scottish home behind closed doors rather than with the presence of members of the public and reporters, a choice made for her “comfort”.

In less than a fortnight, the monarch is scheduled to carry out another important constitutional duty.

On September 5 the country will learn who, between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, members of the Conservative Party have chosen to become their next leader.

As customs, the monarch will then receive the outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and meet the winner of the Tory Leadership Contest to ask them to form a new Government.

Throughout her seven-decade-long reign, the monarch has never held the audience with an incoming British Prime Minister anywhere else but at Buckingham Palace.

However, a source has claimed the monarch had been advised against interrupting her stay at Balmoral Castle – normally set to last until early October – for a tiring round-trip.

The source told The Sun: “The Queen has now been advised not to travel.

“But obviously no one tells the Queen what to do and ultimately it is her decision, and as we saw when she made a third appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the Jubilee she likes surprises.

“There are some parts of her role that Prince Charles can do on her behalf but the Queen is adamant that she appoints the Prime Minister.

“It may not be the best choice to make the Queen travel 1,000 miles there and back for a 48-hour visit when the Prime Ministers can easily get to Balmoral instead.”

Source: Read Full Article