Platinum Jubilee: Queen confirmed to miss St Paul's service

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The Queen will not attend today’s Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral after experiencing discomfort during Trooping the Colour on Thursday. Her Majesty made the decision with “great reluctance” after considering the “journey and activity required”, according to Buckingham Palace. The 96-year-old monarch appeared twice on the Palace balcony, accompanied by other senior members of the Royal Family, as she watched the military parade and greeted crowds of well-wishers.

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Hours after the parade, the Palace confirmed she would not attend the Jubilee service, but  said she “would like to thank all those who made today such a memorable occasion”.

The service, which started at 9.15am, will give thanks for the Queen’s 70 years as a monarch. 

Senior royals including Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge will all attend, with the Prince of Wales officially representing the Queen.

Many have claimed that the Queen is likely eager to get through her Platinum Jubilee, which is an historic achievement and a first in British royal history.

Speculation has followed that she may invoke the Regency Act after her Jubilee celebrations, like from Clive Irving, the founding editor of The Sunday Times’ Insight investigative journalism team.

The  author of ‘The Last Queen’, told The Daily Beast last month: “It’s critical to grasp a point that gets easily overlooked because there is so little precedent to guide it: She does not have to die in the saddle, like Victoria, after a rapid decline. 

“There is nothing in the protocols to say that. So the sane thing would be to have her abdicate. 

“The use of the Regency Act is the first step towards abdication, which, I suspect, will happen once the Jubilee is over.”

Duncan Larcombe, the former royal editor of The Sun and a biographer of Prince Harry, told the publication on Thursday: “If she [the Queen] can’t get through a couple of engagements when the entire world is watching, she’s not going to be able to function day-to-day as monarch. 

“It seems she has been clinging on to get through this special weekend — but sadly she can’t even do that.”

Charles has taken on more of his mother’s responsibilities in recent years, the most notable being the State Opening of Parliament in May, which he and William attended in the monarch’s place. 

The Queen had only missed the key state event two times in her reign — both times while she was pregnant, and so her absence signified a shift within the Royal Family.

Last month, former BBC royal correspondent, Peter Hunt, told PA the State Opening was a “significant moment for two future kings.”

He continued: “Charles will accelerate his on-the-job training. The heir is teetering on the edge of becoming de facto prince regent. William will observe what awaits him.

“With the Queen progressively withdrawing from public life, the palace is keen to show the monarchy is safe in the hands of father and son.”

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are set to make another significant appearance during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. 

The Queen will reportedly be joined by her three heirs — Charles, William and Prince George — on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Sunday.

Charles, 73, is first in line to the throne, and will become king when Her Majesty the Queen passes.

Charles is followed by his eldest son, William, 39, who is then followed by his eldest child, eight-year-old George.

Royal sources recently told the Daily Mirror that the monarch “wants the world to see the heartbeat of her family and the future of the monarchy”, as the special bank holiday comes to a close. 

Future Queens Camilla and Kate are set to join their husbands for the special royal moment, and have similarly been preparing with heightened responsibilities. 

Kate and William’s other children — Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four — may also appear, but that will not be confirmed until the day. 

The three Cambridge children are expected to accompany their parents to the Service of Thanksgiving in central London today. 

With the expected attendance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved to the US two years ago, it is set to be the biggest royal event since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018.

The service will be broadcast live on BBC One at 9.15am. 

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