Queen suffers back sprain, misses cherished tribute
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II missed out on the Remembrance Sunday service in London to pay tribute to Britain’s war dead because she sprained her back, Buckingham Palace said Sunday.
The service is one of the most important events on the 95-year-old monarch’s calendar, and was meant to be her first public appearance after taking a few weeks off to rest under doctor’s orders.
British media reported that the back sprain was not related to the recent medical advice to rest that prompted other cancellations.
“The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today’s Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph,” officials said just hours ahead of the ceremony.
The queen spent a night in a London hospital last month after being admitted for medical tests. It was her first such stay in eight years. On Oct. 29, the palace said she had been told by doctors to rest for two weeks and only take on light duties. But officials stressed at the time that “it remains the queen’s firm intention” to be present for the national Remembrance Sunday service.
The queen served in World War II as an army driver and mechanic, and is head of Britain’s armed forces. She attaches great importance to Remembrance Sunday, a solemn ceremony to remember the sacrifices made by fallen servicemen and women. The national service, which follows Armistice Day on Nov. 11, is marked by the wearing of poppies and a national two-minute silence observed at 11 a.m.
On Sunday, other royals and politicians led the ceremony in London’s Whitehall, with hundreds of military personnel and veterans lined up around the Cenotaph memorial. It was the first time the event had returned to normal since the pandemic began.