The Queen didn't attend the State Opening of Parliament today, instead leaving it to the heirs of the throne Prince Charles and Prince William to open the new session on her behalf.
This was the first State Opening that the Queen has missed in decades.
She has only previously missed two State Openings since her coronation, one in 1959 when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew, and one in 1963 when she was pregnant with Prince Edward.
It was also recently announced that the Queen will not be hosting any of her annual Buckingham Palace garden parties.
The monarch has been suffering from mobility issues recently, causing her to pull out of events.
It seems that ongoing mobility issues were also the reason for her lack of attendance at today’s Opening of Parliament too.
A statement from Buckingham Palace read: “The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems, and in consultation with her doctors has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the State Opening of Parliament."
The statement has left many concerned about the Queen’s health and wondering exactly what ‘episodic mobility problems’ are, here’s everything you need to know.
What are episodic mobility problems?
It is common for elderly people to struggle with mobility issues, and at 96 the Queen is well past the average retirement age of most of the nation.
“Episodic” means “happening occasionally and not at regular intervals”.
This means that we can understand the Palace’s statement as meaning that the Queen occasionally struggles with mobility issues, but doesn't always have problems getting around.
This could perhaps explain why the decision for the Queen to not attend the State Opening this year was made at such short notice, with the Monarch still expected to attend as of early Monday.
How long has the Queen had episodic mobility problems?
Evidence of the Queen’s episodic mobility problems first started in October 2021 when she was seen using a walking stick during a Westminster Abbey Service.
It was the first time the Queen had been seen using a cane since 2003, when she was recovering from knee surgery.
In October 2021 the Queen was admitted to hospital for an overnight stay but was back in Windsor the next day.
However, since then the Queen’s health issues have led to her cancelling her attendance at a number of important engagements, including the Cop26 climate change summit and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.
In recent months the Queen has only been carrying out light duties such as virtual audiences.
