Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Celebrations Just Hit A Snag

As Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking her epic 70-year reign kicked off in the first week of June, some Britons waved patriotic Union Jack flags out of their windows, some protested the monarchy, citizens elsewhere in the commonwealth and the greater English-speaking world watched the festivities on TV, and some (read: 4-year-old Prince Louis) were pictured plugging their ears and screaming. But one Englishwoman who will not get to enjoy the jubilee quite the way she might have wanted to is the queen herself. 

For months now, speculations about Queen Elizabeth's health have been swirling — including one false, but persistent rumor that she had actually died — because she's been uncharacteristically absent from many royal and ceremonial events due to "mobility issues." Plus, and we're just gonna say it, she's not exactly a spring chicken. The woman has been reigning for seven full decades, after all. Now, it looks like her health has caused a snag in her Platinum Jubilee week.

The queen's Platinum Jubilee is being celebrated over several days, and while Queen Elizabeth made it out for the first couple of events, she's gonna have to sit the next one out, according to an official palace statement. Vanity Fair Royal Editor Katie Nicholl tweeted out a royal statement on June 2, alerting the populace that their queen is going to have a nap instead. Okay, we're paraphrasing.

The Buckingham Palace statement actually reads, "The Queen greatly enjoyed today's Birthday Parade and Flypast but did experience some discomfort." Truly, how long is a 96-year-old woman expected to stand and walk around in the sun all day? The statement continues, "Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow's National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend."

To be honest, the bigger surprise was seeing the queen make a jubilee appearance at all. In just the past couple of months she missed the Opening of Parliament for the first time ever, per Town & Country, as well as Easter Services, according to CNN, for the first time in over 50 years. Clearly, the monarch is due for a bit of break.