Queen Elizabeth II absent from mass for her jubilee 5:31
(CNN) --
Following the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II would not attend Friday's service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral for her 70-year reign, questions are being raised about the health of the 96-year-old UK monarch. years.
Buckingham Palace said on Thursday that the Queen experienced "some discomfort" on the first day of her Platinum Jubilee celebration and would not attend the main event on the second day.
"The Queen thoroughly enjoyed today's birthday parade and air parade, but experienced some discomfort," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Thursday.
"Given the travel and activity required to participate in tomorrow's National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty has, with great reluctance, concluded that she will not attend," it continued.
Queen Elizabeth II does not participate in the mass for her Platinum Jubilee
In previous years, the monarch rarely canceled engagements at the last minute.
But her advanced age has made it difficult for her to work the jam-packed schedule, filled with commitments and official appointments, that has defined most of her reign.
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As she has aged, the queen has reduced her number of engagements to focus on core constitutional duties as head of the Church of England and head of state, such as opening parliaments and hearings with the prime minister and new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.
She started using a cane in public last year.
PHOTOS |
Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations kick off
The palace has given no reason to believe that the queen is in poor health.
However, her age and the fact that she is the most recognizable woman in the world often fuel speculation when something is wrong with the British sovereign.
The palace has tried to strike a balance between being candid and keeping people from worrying too much.
Last year, officials moved quickly to ease concerns about the monarch's health when she canceled a trip to Northern Ireland.
Fears were immediately calmed when a source close to the palace told CNN he was in "good spirits" but it later emerged that he had spent the night in hospital for what a palace spokesman called "preliminary investigations."
Thursday's announcement was not entirely unexpected.
Even before the jubilee events began, a royal source told CNN that the monarch's presence "would not be confirmed until much closer to the hour or the same day."
And while the queen's absence was surely felt at the cathedral on Friday, she was watching the proceedings on television from Windsor Castle, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told CNN.
This is how Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated 2:02
“The queen will be disappointed to miss today because her faith is very important to her.
She always has been,” said CNN royal historian Kate Williams.
"Her role as leader of the Church of England. It's not always what we think of when we think of the queen...but it means a lot to her. She swore an oath to God on her coronation day...so it will mean a lot to her that this service exists and of course I couldn't come here if that's really the case.
Four days of celebrations to mark his seven decades on the throne began on Thursday, with Trooping the Colour, a centuries-old traditional military show featuring 1,500 soldiers and officers, 400 musicians and 250 horses.
The queen did not play the ceremonial role of the horse-riding monarch (her son and heir, Prince Charles, did), but she nonetheless delighted fans with her presence, gazing out from the famous palace balcony at a sea of colors. Red, white, and blue like huge flag-waving crowds flocked to the mall to see her and her family.
In the evening she took part in a beacon lighting ceremony from Windsor Castle.
The festivities will also include a service on Friday, a palace concert on Saturday and a parade on Sunday.
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