‘Passage of time’: Queen’s lament
LONDON: The Queen has warned “none of us can slow the passage of time” in a speech delivered on her behalf by Prince Edward at the Church of England’s national assembly, after Her Majesty was forced to withdraw on advice from her doctors.
It was the first time the Queen, who is also head of the Church of England, had missed the event.
After failing to attend the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph due to a sprained back, the Queen was due to appear in person at Church House, the Westminster headquarters of the Synod, but her appearance was cancelled over health concerns.
In her speech at the opening session of the 11th General Synod, read by her youngest son, she said: “It is hard to believe that it is over 50 years since Prince Philip and I attended the very first meeting of the General Synod.
“None of us can slow the passage of time, and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the Gospel of Christ and his teachings.”
Prince Edward told the General Synod “you probably understand why” the Queen was not present to deliver her address in person.
He said Her Majesty sends her “sincere and deep apologies that she cannot be here today”, adding that she “regrets it deeply”.
In the speech, the Queen also described the coronavirus pandemic as a period “of anxiety, of grief, and of weariness”.
“Of course, in our richly diverse modern society, the wellbeing of the nation depends on the contribution of people of all faiths, and of none. But for people of faith, the past few years have been particularly hard, with unprecedented restrictions in accessing the comfort and reassurance of public worship.
“Yet the Gospel has brought hope, as it has done throughout the ages; and the Church has adapted and continued its ministry, often in new ways, such as digital forms.”
The news came as the Queen gave Prince Charles her blessing to continue with his royal tour of the Middle East despite her health concerns.
According to The Sun, the heir apparent reportedly spoke to the Queen in a “touching” phone call to make sure she was healing from her back injury. She reassured Charles that he and Camilla were all clear to jet off on the first postCovid royal overseas tour.
The couple kicked off their four-day trip to Jordan and Egypt on Tuesday local time as the Queen remained at Windsor Castle, where she is said to be doing “light duties”.
Royal watchers are worried as she has now cancelled four engagements in a month.
The Jordan visit marks the kingdom’s centenary year and is said to showcase its “strong bilateral relations” with Britain. The visit will focus on addressing the climate crisis, and heritage preservation, as well as girls’ education.