As preparations for Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee accelerated in June, concerns about her health also received increasing attention. In particular, the Sun revealed a detail that the 96-year-old queen had to give up her old habit of walking her dog for decades, which exacerbated the concerns about her physical condition.
Looking back on the past year, it was a devastating year for Elizabeth II. The year began with blockbuster interviews with her grandsons, Prince Harry and Meghan. The rebellious couple not only betrayed the royal family, but also exposed the ugliness of the family to the public. In March 2021, the former American actress appeared in front of her friend Oprah in tears and revealed to the world that a member of the British royal family had made racist remarks about her unborn son Archie. This appalling anecdote was confirmed by Meghan's husband, Harry, who also claimed that his father and brother were "prisoners" trapped in the monarchy. So many bombs were dropped on the Windsor family, which put the morale of the royal family to the test.
What's more, the tsunami has not yet passed, and Prince Philip, who has accompanied the Queen for 73 years, also left her on April 9, 2021. Especially when the queen appeared alone in her seat at the memorial service site, it shocked all those who saw the scene. Since then, it has been felt that after the tragedy, the mothers of Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, who have endured this terrible test, have been trying to revive themselves. While she now appears to have regained her vitality, her short stay in hospital last October once again terrified all Britons. Although doctors only advised her to take a break, many Britons at the time reportedly had their hearts raised to their throats.
And many people have thought about preparing for her, especially the "London Bridge Operation" mentioned by some royal experts, that is, what will happen to the United Kingdom if the Queen dies, and where the British constitutional monarchy will go. Because in their view, the Queen's son, Prince Charles, was difficult to become a great instrument, and they even discussed the possibility of his son Prince William directly replacing his father to succeed to the throne.
Queen Elizabeth II was weakened
The latest blow is that not long after entering 2022, the Queen was infected with the deadly pandemic virus, and fortunately, William and Harry's already vaccinated grandmother survived again. But what happened next made the British people's hearts hang. According to Buckingham Palace's statement, the Queen will cancel commonwealth day events, which she has rarely been absent for decades. "The Queen's request that her son Charles represent her at a Commonwealth ceremony at Westminster Abbey on 14 March" has undoubtedly added to concerns about her physical condition, the statement said.
In view of this, the Sun published an article saying that Elizabeth II had to give up one of her old habits. For the past six months, the Queen has been unable to take her beloved corgi for a walk in the Windsor Gardens. This is not a good sign, because the queen has never hidden the importance of these moments with the animals. "She wasn't in good health enough," recalled one insider, before saying, "The Queen usually resorted to her corgi in times of crisis or stress, and she walked her dog almost every day when Prince Philip was ill, as well as after his death." Now she could only watch the dogs running around beside her, but she didn't have the strength to lead them for a walk in the park.
It is worth mentioning that according to the Daily Mail, the Queen decided to attend a memorial service for her late husband at Westminster Abbey at the end of this month, on 29 March, and the entourage suggested that she be in a wheelchair, but she refused. Considering that her body might be overwhelmed, Buckingham Palace not only shortened the ceremony to 50 minutes, but also set up a side door specifically for the queen to avoid her having to travel the long way to reach her seat.
| Liang Ishikawa