Queen Elizabeth II has sparked concerns over her health, as photos have emerged which appear to show Her Majesty with a bruised hand when she hosted the King and Queen of Jordan at Buckingham Palace yesterday. The photographs show Her Majesty and Princess Anne smiling with King Abdullah II and Queen Rania alongside their son Prince Hussein at Buckingham Palace. Although many royal watchers were alarmed for the monarch, Her Majesty has historically enjoyed very good health and has instead made allowances for her husband, Prince Philip.
The royal pair went on extensive Commonwealth tours together for the Queen’s coronation and her 1977 Silver Jubilee but, in 2012, the Duke of Edinburgh’s health meant that the Queen delegated her responsibilities to the new generation of royals.
Royal author Katie Nicholl, in her 2017 biography “Harry: Life, Loss, and Love”, explains: “[The Queen] knew that Prince Philip would insist on travelling with her, and, while she had agreed to carry out a tour of the British Isles to mark her sixty years on the throne, she had wisely asked her children and grandchildren to travel to the Commonwealth realms.
“The Queen was well aware that, despite his remarkable energy and non-negotiable sense of duty, royal life was proving increasingly strenuous for her husband.”
She adds: “For the first time, William – with Kate by his side – and Harry would have a significant role.”
The QUeen allocated more role to WIlliam and Harry after concerns over Prince Philip's health (Image: Getty)
The Queen is pictured with a bruised hand in the photo from Buckingham Palace's Twitter account (Image: PA)
A royal source told Ms Nicholl: “Her direct orders to her staff were, ‘don’t overburden me.’
“It wasn’t herself she worried about, but the Duke.
“His busy schedule was starting to take its toll and the Queen didn’t want Philip doing too much long-haul travel and exhausting himself.”
During the Jubilee year, Prince Philip, who is now 97, was taken to hospital with a bladder infection and also had treatment for a blocked coronary artery the
