Monday 13 June 2022 05:58 PM Smiling Queen, 96, uses walking stick in official Order of the Garter photo ... trends now

The Queen was pictured clutching a walking aid as she stood between Prince Charles and Camilla for a photo ahead of the annual Order of the Garter service at St George's Chapel today.

The monarch has been plagued by mobility issues in recent months and has been forced to cancel several engagements as a result.

Her Majesty was using a walking stick made of light wood with a metal clasp and a smooth marble handle, believed to be a gift from the Armed Forces as part of her Jubilee celebrations earlier this month. 

But she arrived at today's service looking elegant in a silver gown with matching shoes and adorned in a royal blue Garter sash with a tasteful silver accoutrement.  

The Duchess of Cambridge meanwhile was beaming as she joined the Duke alongside Prince Charles and Camilla in a horse-drawn carriage to depart the Order of the Garter service. 

Kate Middleton, 40, cut a chic figure in a stunning coat dress and matching £560 Juliette Botterill hat as she joined fellow royals including the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William for the occasion, which is one of the most colourful events in the royal calendar.

She opted for a stunning £8,400 G. Collins & Sons tanzanite pendant necklace for the occasion, which she has worn on a number of occasion. She paired the stunning jewel with matching £6,100 earrings. 

Meanwhile the Countess of Wessex was pretty in a pink Valentino gown as she arrived at St George's Chapel earlier today. 

Among the first arrivals were the Duchess of Cornwall's son Tom Parker Bowles and his sister Laura Lopes, who were beaming as they waited outside the church in Windsor earlier this afternoon.

The mother-of-three, 40, looked stylish in a vibrant blue dress, which she paired with a navy fascinator and a colourful rainbow clutch. 

The siblings are in attendance as they prepare to watch Her Majesty the Queen do the formal investiture of the new Garter knights which includes their mother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. 

New appointments are announced on St George's Day but the chivalric and installation ceremonies take place every year on the Monday of Royal Ascot week, known as Garter Day. 

It comes as Prince William walked alongside his uncle Prince Edward in the procession today - amid claims he told the Queen and Prince Charles that he would pull out of today's Order of the Garter ceremony if his uncle Prince Andrew was given a public role. 

Mother-of-three Kate swept her hair from her face as she arrived at the event, and showed off her natural beauty with a simple make-up look, pairing a light layer of foundation with smokey brown eye and pink lipstick. 

She has worn her dazzling jewelled earrings and necklace from G. Collins & Sons on a number of occasions in the past, including having dinner with President Obama at Kensington Palace in 2016 and while visiting The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and the Nursing Now campaign in 2018. 

Adding even more height to her figure, Kate opted for a pair of £810 Aquazzura heels in blueberry. Made in Italy, the shoes feature a towering style that narrows into a sharp pointy toe and are finished with a glossy, heart-shaped chain at the heel.

Meanwhile Sophie also opted to sweep her hair up into an intricate up-do, donning a cream white fascinator for the occasion. 

The Duke of Cambridge's alleged offered an ultimatum to his grandmother and father which reportedly led to the Duke of York being banned from the Windsor Castle event amid fears the crowds might boo him.

Andrew was not be seen in public during Garter Day, one of the most colourful events in the royal calendar, after the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge reportedly lobbied the Queen about his participation. The decision was clearly taken at the 11th hour, because Andrew's name was on the order of service.

A source told the Evening Standard : 'The Duke of Cambridge was adamant. If York insisted on taking part publicly, he would withdraw'. It would have also meant that his wife Kate would also not have attended.

Meanwhile Camilla's daughter Laura also opted for blue for the royal outing, donning an elegant floor-length vibrant blue gown for the occasion. 

Although she prefers stays out of the spotlight, Laura enjoys a warm relationship with her step-brothers Prince William and Prince Harry, who both made a big effort to attend her wedding to to former Calvin Klein underwear model Harry in 2006.

In fact, Laura's daughter Eliza was a flower girl to William and Kate when they wed in 2011.

Laura is a graduate of History of Art and Marketing from Oxford Brookes, and has pursued a career in gallery management, as well as a stint as motoring correspondent for Tatler in 2001.

In 2005, she co-founded the Eleven Gallery in Belgravia with Charlie Phillips and prefers to concentrate on her career and motherhood than courting the limelight.

Her husband Harry comes from suitably aristocratic stock as both his grandfathers were barons. He will one day inherit Gnaton Hall, near Plymouth and the 3,000-acre Skelpick estate in the Scottish Highlands. 

Recipients of the honour today chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally.

The appointment of Knights of the Garter is in the Queen's gift and is made without consulting ministers.

The Queen is sovereign of the order and a number of other British and foreign royals are additional members of the order. 

It comes after Buckingham Palace said The Duke of York's absence from the Windsor Castle procession and service was a 'family decision' amid fears that he might be booed over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and alleged abuse of one of his 'sex slaves'.

Andrew was not be seen in public during Garter Day after the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge reportedly lobbied the Queen about his participation. The decision was clearly taken at the 11th hour, because Andrew's name remains on the order of service.

A palace insider said that the decision to exclude Andrew from the public elements of today's Garter Day was a 'family decision'. 

While a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today but will not be part of the procession or service.'

But he was allowed to join the Queen at the formal investiture of new members of the Order of the Garter - including the Duchess of Cornwall and ex PM Tony Blair - and as well as the lunch afterwards.

Her Majesty will also miss the procession and service, due to her ongoing mobility problems - but intends to do the formal investiture of the new Garter knights including Tony Blair and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

It came amid reports that Andrew has pushed for a return to royal duties but his older brother Prince Charles and nephew Prince William had asked the Queen not to give in to the disgraced royal. Her Majesty apparently informed him to keep out of sight 'for his own good'.

What is the Order of the Garter? How King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur he set up his own group of knights almost 700 years ago

In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter.

Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service.

The patron saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and if there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are announced on St George's Day (23 April).

The Order of the Garter is a 700-year-old tradition which recognises great public service

The spiritual home of the Order is St George's Chapel, Windsor. Every knight is required to display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, together with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled stallplate.

These 'achievements' are taken down on the knight's death and the insignia are returned to the Sovereign. The stallplates remain as a memorial and these now form one of the finest collections of heraldry in the world.

Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally.

As sovereign and heir, The Queen and Prince Charles are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights'. The Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter.

The sovereign, known as the Sovereign of the Garter, is the only one with the power to admit new members.

The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens. Notable former members include Sir Winston Churchill, Stanley Baldwin and Sir Edmund Hillary.

Field Marshall, the Lord Bramall, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, the Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former Director-General of MI5, are among the current Knights and Ladies of the Garter.

There are also two orders of 'extra' knights. Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William.

A second order, the Stranger Knights and Ladies, is bestowed on foreign rulers such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Harald V of Norway.

Although new additions are named on St. George's Day, the 23 April, the initiation ceremony takes place in Junmantle during the traditional Garter Procession, which sees members parade through Windsor.

The annual iconic Garter Day procession, where The Queen and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen's calendar.

Every June, a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress.

The day begins with The Queen formally investing any new Companions with the Order's insignia in the Throne Room of the Castle. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain the members and officers at a lunch, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George's Chapel.

There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars.

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 Snubbed Prince Andrew heads to Windsor for lunch with Queen after royals made eleventh-hour 'family decision' to hide him from public view at today's Order of the Garter ceremony amid fears he will be booed

The Duke of York – who missed the Jubilee celebrations a week ago because he had Covid – dramatically pulled out of today's Order of the Garter ceremony, despite being a member of the ancient order of chivalry.

Charles and William were said to have blocked Andrew from appearing at today's Order of the Garter ceremony after lobbying the Queen, according to The Sun.  

Andrew, 62, was stripped of his official duties at the start of the year as he prepared to pay a multi-million-pound settlement to Jeffrey Epstein's sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre to keep her allegations of sexual abuse, which he denies, out of court.

In a last-minute U-turn, the prince backed out of attending public aspects of the annual ceremony at Windsor. He will still attend a private lunch with the Queen and other members of the order.

Buckingham Palace had insisted that Andrew would attend the ceremony, because the honour was given to him in a personal capacity by the Queen. 

But behind the scenes there was deep concern about the spectacle of the shamed prince walking in his robes in public. There were also fears he could be booed. 

The Queen is reported to have asked him to stay out of public sight and only attend private elements of today's event. It also appears that his wish to represent her at Royal Ascot has been binned.

But despite this he remains ninth in line to the throne - and a Counsellor of State - meaning he will stand in for the Queen if she is incapacitated and Charles and William are abroad. 

Prince Andrew lives in the grounds of Windsor Castle and is said to have daily contact with his mother.

Weeks after she stripped him of his titles, the Queen asked him to accompany her to Prince Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey in March, where he walked his mother down the aisle in a highly symbolic moment.

But palace aides - as well as his relatives - are said to have been clear that the strength of public feeling against over his links to Epstein, must preclude him from taking part in frontline royal duties.  

Despite his non-appearance today, the duke believes he should be included in other royal and state events, The Daily Telegraph reported.

'The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back,' a source said.

'Having remained a Counsellor of State, he also believes he should be included at royal and state events. Most importantly for him is his status as an HRH and 'Prince of the Blood' and he feels that should be reinstated and his position recognised and respected.'

The Palace and Andrew's spokesman last night declined to comment on the claims. But one royal insider suggested that, whether he had asked or not, there should be no expectation of being welcomed back.

The insider said the duke could 'lobby all he wanted, if indeed he has, but whether he would ever get anything back is an entirely different matter'.

An aide said the statement from January in which he was stripped of his roles 'with the Queen's approval and agreement', still 'speaks for itself'.

Prince Charles is understood to be prominent among those who feel he must be kept at arm's length to avoid damaging the entire

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