Her last wreath

Queen quits Cenotaph to stand with husband

THE Queen will not lay a poppy wreath on Remembrance Sunday this year, ending a tradition stretching back to 1945. The 91-year-old will instead watch the ceremony at the Cenotaph in Central London from a balcony, next to Prince Philip. It means last year’s lighter weight wreath was the final one she will present in person. Prince Charles will lay a wreath for his mother and an equerry will place one on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh at the 11am service on Sunday, November 12. Buckingham Palace said the Queen will be at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building beside Prince Philip, 96, after he retired from public service.

It is the latest small adjustment to the Queen’s domestic duties in acknowledgement of her advancing years.

She has stood at the foot of the Whitehall monument to honour war veterans almost every year since 1945, only absent six times due to foreign tours.

WORKLOAD

A royal source said yesterday: “Primarily this is about the Queen wishing to be alongside the Duke for the service.” They will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on November

20.

Other members of the Royal Family will lay wreaths as usual and Prince Charles will lay two wreaths – still placing his own as well as the Queen’s.

Other changes have been made to ease the Queen’s workload in recent years.

At the end of last year it was announced that she would hand over 25 of her patronages to younger members of her family.

In May 2013, she stopped long-haul travel and has also handed over duties such as some investitures to other royals.

In May 2016, she took the lift for the first time in 63 State Openings of Parliament, avoiding the 26 steps to the Sovereign’s Entrance. This year she did the same and also did not wear the heavy robes of state.