The Queen has had a ‘wheelchair-friendly’ lift fitted into her favourite cottage, it has been claimed.
The Monarch, 95, plans to spend more time at Craigowan Lodge on her Balmoral Estate, according to reports.
Now the cottage at her much-loved retreat in the Scottish Highlands has been fitted with a £20,000 lift.
She will also have a new security gate, a state-of-the-art intercom system and a number of news CCTV cameras installed into the property.
Palace officials have moved to fit the lift the after speculation the Queen has been struggling with her mobility.
She is having difficulty walking her beloved corgis, and needs a walking stick on the occasions she does take them out.
The Lifton Trio lift is the largest in its range, reports The Sun.
“For many years we have thought it would be the perfect place for the Queen to spend more time when she’s older," a source said.
"It's one of her favourite 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.”
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said she understands why the Queen is keen to spend more time on her Balmoral Estate.
“Craigowan is one of the Queen's favourite homes," the royal expert said. "She loves being there.
“The idea of making it easier for her so she can spend more time there in the future is a great idea.
“It’s a big, big house. The security makes it very safe.
“It makes perfect sense. It’s a home she has always enjoyed and it gives her a bit of independence."
The Queen could miss more key events such as Royal Ascot and Garter Day, it has this week been suggested.
She pulled out of attending the Commonwealth Day service on Monday, a decision understood to be related to her comfort rather than a specific illness.
She now regularly uses a stick and remarked during a recent Windsor audience “Well, as you can see, I can’t move”.
Her Majesty has also just recovered from a bout of Covid and spent more than three months resting on doctors’ orders from October and only carrying out light duties after an overnight stay in hospital for tests.
Editor of Majesty magazine, Joe Little, has suggested the head of state could be absent from key events in the royal calendar.
Mr Little told PA: “At a service – you’re getting up and down – and it’s tricky. If Westminster Abbey wasn’t possible, it makes you wonder whether St Paul’s Cathedral will be possible during the main Jubilee celebrations.
“Garter, Royal Ascot, big ceremonial events that involve her normally getting in and out of carriages and getting dressed up, I just feel that’s not going to be possible in the future.
“But you know, a lot can happen between now and then and so we will think positive thoughts.”
He added: “The programme will be pretty sparse. The Palace is clearly going to look at what’s planned and commit to as little as possible because the problem is obviously to do with mobility."
