The Queen Is ‘Fading Away Before Our Very Eyes’ At Public Appearances Amid Deteriorating Health, Royal Expert Says
June 28, 2022 by Maria Pierides
This post has been updated since it was originally published on 3/26/22 to reflect new reports on the Queen’s health from royal experts.
Royal expert Daniela Elser just penned an op-ed for News.com.AU on Friday calling images of the Queen greeting New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley in the UK last week, “nothing short of alarming.” Yikes! This comes on the heels of reports of her decreased mobility and suffering “Covid exhaustion.”
In photo from the event, the 96-year-old is seen wearing a bright yellow floral dress for the photo op at Windsor Castle with the Australian politician. Elser pointed to the “truly startling” difference in the Queen’s appearance between this week’s appearance and June 2021 when she met former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Writing that her posture is noticeably “more stooped” and that she appears “much thinner and overall appears to have shrunk,” the royal authority cause quite a case for concern.
She’s “fading away before our very eyes,” the article states.
Previously, Queen Elizabeth II had seemingly fully recovered from COVID-19 and gone back to in-person meetings, but still faced problems in terms of her mobility back in March 2022. Royal experts confirmed at the time that the 95-year-old monarch was struggling to walk or stand. Reports suggested that the Queen had stripped back her royal duties even more as a result of her decreased mobility, and was only undertaking “light duties.”
“It’s quite simple, really. She’s finding it extremely difficult to walk or stand for long periods,” royal reporter Phil Dampier told The Telegraph. Her Majesty doesn’t seem to be hiding her mobility issues these days either, as she is regularly spotted with a walking stick, and recently made light of the situation while meeting some military visitors at Windsor Castle last month, saying, “As you can see, I can’t move.”
The Queen's mobility issues have therefore raised questions about what this means for events over the next few months, including her late husband Prince Philip's memorial next month, as well as her own Platinum Jubilee celebrations. "She will make a huge effort to attend Prince Philip’s memorial, but they will have to make allowances for her – and no one will begrudge it. She’s nearly 96," Dampier added.
Another insider said that preparations for Prince Philip's memorial are already underway, and one of the possibilities includes Her Majesty arriving by helicopter and being seated before any of the other guests arrive. "Everything is being looked at to make sure The Queen makes it to Philip’s service," a source told The Sun. "But the most important thing is to make sure she is comfortable. A 15-minute flight is better than an hour in the back of a car. Some days she can walk around easily. Other days she cannot. It varies from day to day."
British actor Christopher Biggins also commented on Her Majesty's mobility, telling GB News that she was now "largely confined to a wheelchair," which could be the reason why she has canceled a number of recent appearances, as she is, according to Biggins, "too proud" to be seen in one.
"I have heard that the reason she’s not doing a lot of the events that she should be doing and cancelling them is because she is in a wheelchair," Biggins said. "She doesn’t want to be seen, she’s very proud. It’s so very sad and I hope she is able to make her anniversary celebrations."
The Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service isn’t the only thing that royal staff are making adjustments for, as it has also been reported that Craigowan Lodge, a cottage on the Queen's Balmoral Estate in Scotland which she reportedly will be spending most of her time at following her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, has been equipped with accessibility options such as a $26,000 'wheelchair-friendly' lift. It will also reportedly have added security, including a new security gate with a state-of-the-art intercom system, and new CCTV cameras.
According to The Daily Mail, a Balmoral insider said: "For many years we have thought it would be the perfect place for the Queen to spend more time when she's older. It's one of her favorite places in the country. With the proper lift and now this new security, it can effectively be sealed off so she can spend much more time there quietly in her late nineties."