Fresh health scare forces 'disappointed' Queen to pull out of Remembrance Day ...

Fresh health scare forces 'disappointed' Queen to pull out of Remembrance Day ...
Fresh health scare forces 'disappointed' Queen to pull out of Remembrance Day ...

The Queen may be forced to further ‘scale back’ her public commitments after she had to miss the Cenotaph event yesterday.

The 95-year-old monarch was said to be ‘deeply disappointed’ at having to take the 11th hour decision not to lead the nation’s remembrance of its war dead because of a back sprain.

Buckingham Palace had long said it was her ‘firm intention’ to be there, despite her having to cancel a run of engagements due to ill health. And on Thursday officials announced she would be at the London ceremony.

But yesterday morning, less than two hours before she was due to arrive, a spokesman said she had suffered further ill health and could no longer attend. They stressed there was no connection with her recent hospitalisation. 

She watched the ceremony live on TV at home in Windsor, where the Prince of Wales laid a wreath. The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra also attended. 

TUESDAY -- The Queen is photographed leaving Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate to return to Windsor by helicopter

TUESDAY -- The Queen is photographed leaving Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate to return to Windsor by helicopter 

Pictured: Prince Charles lead the royal family at this year's Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London and laid a wreath on behalf of his mother the Queen after she was forced to miss the event due to a back injury

Pictured: Prince Charles lead the royal family at this year's Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London and laid a wreath on behalf of his mother the Queen after she was forced to miss the event due to a back injury

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex lays a wreath at The Cenotaph during the Remembrance Sunday ceremony

Princess Anne, Princess Royal lays a wreath at The Cenotaph during the Remembrance Sunday ceremony

Pictured: Prince Edward and Princess Anne lay wreaths at the Cenotaph as part of the Remembrance Sunday ceremony

Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference: ‘I know that everybody will be wanting to offer their best wishes to her majesty the Queen and I just wanted to reassure everybody by saying that I did see the Queen for an audience last week on Wednesday in Windsor and she’s very well.

‘It shouldn’t need saying but I just wanted to say it anyway.’

The daily list of official royal engagements showed that Mr Johnson had an audience with the Queen on Friday, as he was in Glasgow on Wednesday speaking at the Cop26 climate change summit. 

The monarch, who lived through the Second World War as a teenager, is head of the armed forces and attaches great importance to the poignant service and to commemorating the sacrifices made by fallen servicemen and women.

She started the Second World War as a schoolgirl but ended it in uniform as a junior commander with the Auxiliary Territorial Service. 

Buckingham Palace said the Queen was forced to miss the Remembrance service due to a back injury. Pictured last year

Buckingham Palace said the Queen was forced to miss the Remembrance service due to a back injury. Pictured last year

The Duke of Cambridge walks past dignitaries holding wreaths after he laid his wreath at the Cenotaph this morning

The Duke of Cambridge walks past dignitaries holding wreaths after he laid his wreath at the Cenotaph this morning

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, left, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, right, stand on the balcony of the Foreign Office during the Remembrance service where the Queen would have been standing if she had attended

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, left, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, right, stand on the balcony of the Foreign Office during the Remembrance service where the Queen would have been standing if she had attended

Wreaths of poppies were laid at the foot of the Cenotaph in London today as the country marked Remembrance Sunday

Wreaths of poppies were laid at the foot of the Cenotaph in London today as the country marked Remembrance Sunday

A common injury that can heal quickly 

 Back sprains such as the one apparently suffered by the Queen occur when ligaments connecting the vertebrae in the spine become torn, stretched or twisted.

Although back sprains can be very painful, they are a relatively common injury and usually heal on their own after two to six weeks. They can occur after a fall, heavy lifting or a sudden twist that forces a joint out of its normal position, stretching the ligament.

Back sprains usually cause a broad, aching pain across the lower back and may lead to difficulties standing up straight, walking or bending over.

Patients are advised to rest for the first two days after injury but are encouraged to return to normal activities as soon as possible because immobility can delay recovery.

Ice and ibuprofen can help.

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She returned to Windsor Castle on Tuesday after a long-planned weekend away at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The Queen has only missed six other Cenotaph ceremonies during her reign: on four occasions when she was on overseas visits to Ghana in 1961, Brazil in 1968, Kenya in 1983 and South Africa in 1999.

She was not present during the 1959 and 1963 services as she was pregnant with her two youngest children.

The Queen has missed several other events, including the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening. 

She was forced to cancel a two-day visit to Northern Ireland at the last minute three weeks ago after being ordered to rest by doctors following a slew of public engagements.

It later emerged that she had been in hospital overnight for 'preliminary investigations', although palace official declined to comment on what these might be. She has since been ordered to rest for 'at least' another fortnight

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the diminished family group at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night but the Queen was not in attendance.

They were joined by Prince William, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

The latest setback has led many in royal circles to believe that when she eventually feels well enough to return to more taxing duties, the Queen is unlikely to be overworked. 

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the family group, which also included Prince William, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra at the Remembrance event on Saturday night

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the family group, which also included Prince William, the Earl

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