Great Britain
Queen not present at celebration of Commonwealth Day
The service to celebrate Commonwealth Day was supposed to be Queen Elizabeth II’s first major public event in a long time. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/PA Wire/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Elizabeth II has not attended any major public engagements since last fall. That should change on Commonwealth Day. Now there is a rejection.
The British Queen Elizabeth II has again canceled a planned appointment. Buckingham Palace said she would not be attending the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey next Monday.
Her son Prince Charles (73) will represent her. The Queen still wants to send a message. On Wednesday it was said that the 95-year-old queen wanted to personally attend the service with around 1,500 visitors. The palace initially did not give a reason for the short-term change of plan.
It would have been the first time the 95-year-old had appeared among many people since she had to step back and cancel several other appointments last fall for health reasons. Only recently did she survive a corona infection. However, the Queen will hold other appointments in the coming week, including personal audiences, it said.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many other guests from politics, religion and society as well as around 600 school children and young people are expected to attend the service in honor of the Commonwealth of States. The annual service for Commonwealth Day is now taking place for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.
But that’s not the only special feature: the Queen’s 70th anniversary this year should also play an important role. Composer Debbie Wiseman’s piece “Beacon of Brightest Light”, inspired by the Queen’s platinum jubilee, will celebrate its world premiere.