(London) Concern gripped the UK on Thursday, with Queen Elizabeth II’s doctors saying they were “concerned” about her health as her family gathered at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she is.
Posted at 7:49
Updated at 8:33 a.m.
Doctors “have recommended that she be placed under medical supervision,” Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.
The longest-lived and immensely popular monarch, whose 70th-year reign the UK celebrated in June, has seen her health deteriorate since a night in hospital nearly a year ago, for reasons never specified. She now appeared only rarely in public, her services evoking episodic mobility problems, and delegated more and more duties to her direct heirs, Charles and William.
“Following a further assessment this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended that she remains under medical supervision. The Queen continues to feel comfortable and remains at Balmoral,” the palace said in a brief statement.
His family has been notified of his condition, the Press Association reported. His heir Charles, 73, arrived with his wife Camilla at Balmoral, where the Queen spends the end of summer every year.
His grandson William, second in line of succession, was expected on site.
Wishes of recovery
In her final public appearance, the Queen formalized the appointment of Liz Truss as Prime Minister on Tuesday, her 15e head of government in 70 years of reign. She had decided to stay at Balmoral instead of returning to London, where the transition between prime ministers usually takes place, because of her health problems.
Footage released by the palace showed the sovereign smiling and leaning on a cane, shaking hands with the new ruler.
“The entire country will be deeply concerned by the news coming out of Buckingham Palace this afternoon,” tweeted Liz Truss. “My thoughts – and those of everyone in the UK – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family.”
Many political leaders have sent their wishes for recovery to the sovereign.
The head of government was speaking in Parliament before the palace reported on the deterioration of the sovereign’s state of health. She left the House of Commons after receiving a note.
Longevity record
On Wednesday evening, the palace announced that the queen had postponed an online meeting after her doctors advised her to rest.
Already in May, his son Charles had pronounced in his place for the first time the speech from the throne in Parliament, one of his essential constitutional functions.
In early June, the British had celebrated for four days the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, who is the oldest monarch in the world in office. She remained almost absent from this platinum jubilee, showing herself only twice briefly on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in front of tens of thousands of people.
A few weeks later on the other hand, she showed up several times for public appearances in Scotland, appearing smiling and with a cane during an armed forces parade in Edinburgh at the end of June.
The decline of the health of the queen, who came to the throne on February 6, 1952, at the age of 25, after the death of her father George VI, has revived questions about the future of the monarchy.
The institution has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent months: accusations of sexual assault in the United States against his son Andrew, who ended it by paying millions of dollars, as well as allegations of racism against the family. royal, from his grandson Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, now settled in California and cold with the rest of the family.
The post-Elisabeth II period promises to be more complicated with Charles, whose popularity is much lower. The British prefer Prince William and his wife Kate to him.