Buckingham Palace was accused yesterday of misleading the nation over the state of the Queen’s health.
Commentators including BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell questioned whether the palace had undermined public trust by failing to reveal she had been taken to hospital. The 95-year-old monarch was admitted to King Edward VII’s on Wednesday afternoon and stayed there overnight for tests.
A two-day scheduled visit to Northern Ireland had to be cancelled at the last minute.
The palace’s communications team told journalists the Queen had remained at Windsor Castle.
However on Thursday night – more than 24 hours later – it confirmed she had been taken to the private hospital in London.
Buckingham Palace was accused yesterday of misleading the nation over the state of the Queen’s health
Unusually, the royal standard remained flying at Windsor on Wednesday, even after the Queen had left. The flag represents the sovereign and is flown only when she is present.
A royal source denied it was kept aloft as part of a cover-up and said the standard did not move to every building she visited. The source said Windsor had remained the Queen’s residence, despite the overnight trip. Mr Witchell insisted journalists – and the public – ‘weren’t given the complete picture’. He added: ‘The problem, it seems to me, is that rumour and misinformation always thrive in the absence of proper, accurate and trustworthy information.’
Peter Hunt, a royal commentator and former BBC journalist, claimed there had been a ‘failed attempt’ to cover up the hospital admission. He said: ‘The media’s faith in the veracity of royal communications will have been sorely tested by the failed attempt to hide the fact the Queen spent a night in hospital. Buckingham Palace can ill afford a breakdown in trust, given all they’re dealing with.’
Palace officials are generally reluctant to disclose information relating to health matters because the Royal Family is entitled to privacy and medical confidentiality.
But updates are usually provided if a senior royal is admitted to hospital, and the health of the monarch is of constitutional significance. As head of state, the Queen’s health has been subject to intense scrutiny, which increases as she gets older.
The revelation that she had needed to be seen by specialists in hospital – her
