Princes Charles and William will attend the Opening of Parliament in the monarch's place.
Queen Elizabeth won't be present at this year's Opening of Parliament. In a statement to ET on Monday, Buckingham Palace announced that the 96-year-old monarch won't attend Tuesday's event due to "episodic mobility problems."
"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 tomorrow," the statement read.
"At Her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, The Prince of Wales will read The Queen’s speech on Her Majesty’s behalf, with The Duke of Cambridge also in attendance," the statement added, referring to the queen's son, Prince Charles, and grandson, Prince William, respectively.
The statement from Buckingham Palace came after ET learned that the queen has canceled a number of events recently and has been conducting virtual audiences, ahead of her Platinum Jubilee festivities this summer, which will celebrate her 70 years on the throne.
ET also learned that the queen won't attend every upcoming Platinum Jubilee event, because the Palace is pacing her now that she is 96. A family source told ET that the queen has been "having mobility issues and as a result her diary has been scaled back."
The source added that it’s hoped the queen can participate in many of the meaningful moments that have special significance during the June festivities, which will include four days of events.
The celebrations will begin on June 2 with a birthday parade. According to a press release, the Trooping the Colour will feature the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards and more than 1200 officers and soldiers as well as hundreds of Army musicians and about 240 horses. During the parade, a royal gun salute will be fired. After the parade, the royal family will make their balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace paired with a flypast.
While Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two kids will be present at the parade, they will not join the royal family on the balcony. The couple confirmed their exit as working members of the royal family in February 2021, after a year-long trial period.
"After careful consideration, The Queen has decided this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd June will be limited to Her Majesty and those Members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously told ET.
Those members include Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children, as well as Princess Anne and Prince Edward with their families. It does not include Prince Andrew, who stepped back from public duties in 2019 following controversy over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and alleged sexual assault of Virginia Giuffre, which he has denied.
Queen Elizabeth is currently the world's third longest-reigning monarch, behind only Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and France's King Louis XIV, the latter of whom ruled for 72 years and 110 days.
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