Mobility woes force Queen to miss beloved Braemar Gathering
THE Queen will not attend this year’s Braemar Gathering in Scotland, missing another of her favourite events in the face of mobility problems.
The decision was taken for the Queen’s comfort, as the 96-year-old enjoys her annual summer retreat at Balmoral with her family.
She has missed the Highland Games event only a handful of times over her 70-year reign, including when it was cancelled during the pandemic. A spokesman for the Braemar Gathering recalled that she had missed it only five times during overseas tours, believing the monarch has been there in person for the last 20 years.
The games are well known to royalwatchers around the world, with the Queen photographed each year enjoying the sports from a dais, often covered in a tartan blanket for warmth.
It had been hoped she would feel well enough to attend, given the relatively low physical demands of watching from a seated position.
The gathering is held a 16-minute car journey from Balmoral Castle, where the Queen is spending the summer.
It has now been confirmed that she will not go, with a source saying it was for her comfort.
The Prince of Wales, who is patron of the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association, will still attend as planned.
The Queen is expected to spend the weekend at home in Balmoral, before visits from Boris Johnson and the new prime minister on Tuesday. She has invited the outgoing and incoming leaders for audiences in Scotland for their official resignation and appointment for the first time, after being advised not to make the journey to London herself.
The Braemar Gathering was described by one source as being akin to the Chelsea Flower Show in the Queen’s affections, as one of the cornerstones of her calendar. Classed as a private event, it usually marks a rare outing for Her Majesty over her summer in Scotland, where she undertakes constitutional duties such as her red boxes but carries out fewer public engagements in favour of spending a holiday with family.
She has been attending the gathering throughout her reign, in a tradition dating back to 1848 and Queen Victoria.
After hearing pipe bands and watching contestants “toss the caber”, “put the stone” and “throw the hammer”, she would usually present the trophies at the end. This year, the Prince of Wales will do the official duties.
There have been Gatherings at Braemar for 900 years, since the days of King Malcolm Canmore and it has been run in its present form since 1832.
Missing the games is the latest in a series of changes in the Queen’s schedule. In May, she made a surprise appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show in a modified golf buggy, using it to get around the large site with ease.