The Queen’s traditional welcome to Balmoral Castle has been axed. Her Majesty was due to attend the ceremony on Monday (August 8) but it has been replaced with a "small, private event".
The cancellation has prompted fresh fears for the 96-year-old’s health. The Mirror reports that until just days ago she was still intending to be there.
It will be the first time in several decades - the Covid pandemic aside - that the Queen will not greet well-wishers at the gates. It traditionally marks the start of her annual holiday.
However royal sources have confirmed that the Queen intends to interrupt her holiday to travel to England and invite her 15th Prime Minister to form a government when Boris Johnson quits on September 6. Buckingham Palace is the usual venue but it may change to Windsor Castle due to refurbishments.
A royal source told the Mirror: "The traditional welcome to Balmoral is normally cemented in the Queen’s calendar and something Her Majesty really enjoys, being able to greet locals who travel to see her. It’s a bitter disappointment the ceremony will not take place in its traditional form."
Other sources suggested the alternative plan was “very much a sign of things to come”. Buckingham Palace has insisted the private ceremony - on the Balmoral lawns within the confines of the castle - was “in line with adapting Her Majesty’s schedule for her comfort”.
The Queen usually would inspect a Guard of Honour from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Last year she heard a performance from The Pipes and Drums of the regiment’s 3rd Battalion and met the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s mascot, Shetland Pony Lance Corporal Cruachan IV.
The Queen appeared at two major events during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, including Trooping the Colour and joined her three heirs – Princes Charles, William and George – on the Buckingham Palace balcony to close the festivities. But she was forced to miss other events including a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and the Epsom Derby due to tiredness.
