The Queen has missed every day of the Royal Ascot for the first time since she was crowned, the racecourse has confirmed.
Her Majesty, who experiences episodic mobility problems, is usually a fixture at the racing event. However, it has been reported that she will watch the final day on television.
Her absence this year marks the first time the Queen has missed the Royal Ascot of her own accord, having missed it in 2020 when the race was “held behind closed doors due to the pandemic”.
It comes after the 96-year-old monarch was absent for much of the platinum jubilee celebrations at the beginning of June, appearing in person only twice during the four-day bank holiday.
Leading the royal carriage procession will be the Duke of Kent, along with Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, according to Sky News.
The Royal Ascot is one of Her Majesty’s most beloved events, and she regularly enters her own horses into the races.
In 2013, she became the first reigning monarch to win the Gold Cup. Between 1953 and 2019, she has been in the winner’s enclosure 24 times.
It has also been reported that the Queen will miss this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, due to take place in the summer.
According to the Daily Mail, senior figures associated with the international tournament cited the monarch’s “increasing frailty” as the reason for her absence.
It is thought that Prince Charles will step in for his mother at the sporting event, as he has already done several times this year, including for the Queen’s Speech.
The monarch’s mobility problems have hampered her movements since October, when she spent a night in hospital for the first time since 2013.
In February, she pointed towards her left leg or foot during an official engagement at Windsor Castle and said: “Well as you can see, I can’t move.”
During the platinum jubilee celebrations from 2 June to 5 June, the Queen only appeared in public on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the first day and the last day of festivities.
Other senior members of the royal family were sent to represent her at other events throughout the long weekend.
