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The Queen will not join other members of the royal family at Remembrance events over the weekend after falling ill with a chest infection.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Camilla will not attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, nor the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
It is understood there is no downturn in her condition, but the Queen is said to be mindful of minimising the risk of passing any last lingering infection to others.
While Camilla will be absent, the Princess of Wales is continuing her steady return to royal duties and will appear at the two events.
The news comes as Prince William candidly described the past year as “brutal” and the “hardest” of his life as both his wife and father battle cancer.
Asked by reporters how his year has been, he replied: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
William added: “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
Late Queen’s final diary entry written two days before death revealed
Unlike the colourful and detailed entries her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, famously wrote, Elizabeth kept hers to the point - a habit kept until her last entry just two days before her death.
According to royal biographer Robert Hardman, who discovered the diary during research, she recorded that her private secretary Edward Young had come to see her and made notes about swearing in new Privy Council members.
Read the full story here:
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 17:43
Queen to miss Remembrance weekend events after falling ill with chest infection
The Queen will not be joining other members of the royal family for a full schedule of Remembrance events as she continues to fight a chest infection.
Buckingham Palace confirmed a disappointed Camilla will not go to the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, nor attend the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
It is understood there is no downturn in her condition, but the Queen is said to be mindful of minimising the risk of passing any last lingering infection to others.
Read the full story:
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 16:51
Watch: Prince William breaks silence on 'brutal' year
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 15:38
Kate Middleton: A timeline of the princess’s year so far, from cancer diagnosis to royal return
Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that she is to make an appearance at both the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.
Here is a full timeline of Kate’s health journey in 2024 so far:
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 15:01
What is wrong with Camilla?
Queen Camilla, 77, pulled out of an Olympic and Paralympic reception at the Palace and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey earlier this week after developing the seasonal respiratory bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa and spa break in India.
She is said to have dearly wanted to pay tribute in person to the nation’s fallen servicemen and women this weekend. But royal doctors ordered her to have another few days’ rest to get back to full strength.
She plans to return to London early next week if royal doctors give her the go-ahead.
She has a number of diaried engagements, including a Booker Prize event at Clarence House on Tuesday, a Palace reception celebrating the TV and film industry and a night out with the King at the star-studded global premiere of Gladiator II on Wednesday.
Thursday is also the King’s 76th birthday.
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 14:20
‘Stubborn’ Andrew determined to stay in Windsor, says expert
Prince Andrew’s “stubbornness” and “arrogance” has added fuel to the fire in his feud with King Charles over his residence Royal Lodge in Windsor, a royal expert claims.
A row sparked between the brothers after King Charles cut the Duke of York’s from an annual £1 million “living allowance”, according to a new biography book by Robert Hartman.
Commenting on the rift, royal commentator Rupert Bell told Times Radio: “One of the problems that Prince Andrew has is that he is occasionally convinced of his rightness, and he gets himself into hot water with his stubbornness and sometimes his own arrogance has caused him to create these problems.
“He feels like he lost everything and if he loses his house, well then he probably feels that even more has been taken away from him.”
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 13:36
Queen to miss Remembrance events with chest infection
The Queen is set to miss a full schedule of Remembrance events this weekend as she continues to recover from a chest infection.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Camilla will not attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, nor the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
A Palace spokesperson said: “Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
It is understood there is no cause for alarm, and no downturn in her condition.
The Queen is said to be mindful of minimising the risk of passing any last lingering infection to others.
The Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer and the King, who is still having ongoing treatment for cancer, are both attending the Remembrance events.
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 12:47
How are the royals involved in the Remembrance Sunday service?
Senior royals will appear at the Cenotaph tomorrow to honour the nation’s war dead.
King Charles will lay a wreath of poppies on Sunday at the base of the memorial, leading the nation in tribute to its fallen servicemen and women.
Thousands of veterans proudly wearing their medals, military families and the public will gather in remembrance of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
William will also leave a floral tribute – featuring the Prince of Wales’s feathers and a new ribbon in Welsh red – at the historic Portland stone monument.
The King’s wreath pays tribute to that of his grandfather George VI, and his mother Elizabeth II, incorporating the sovereign’s racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold.
Even if Camilla attends the service, her poppy wreath will be placed by an equerry from the Royal Household, as is the custom.
Kate will watch, as is tradition, from above, on the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony overlooking Whitehall, taking part in the solemn two-minute silence and viewing the veterans’ march past.
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 12:33
What is the Festival of Remembrance?
It was confirmed by Buckingham Palace yesterday that Kate, Princess of Wales, will be joining other royals to attend the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night.
The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is staged annually on the Saturday evening of Remembrance weekend.
It honours sacrifices made by the British and Commonwealth armed forces community and includes musical performances and personal testimonies.
This year’s festival will showcase the contribution of the Second World War generation 80 years on from the D-Day landings, and commemorate 25 years since Nato peacekeeping forces were deployed in Kosovo, and 10 years since the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 11:44
What are the royals doing this weekend?
Remembrance weekend is always busy for the royal family - and this year is no different.
On Saturday evening, the Princess of Wales will join the the King, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
They will also attend the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph tomorrow morning.
It marks the next significant step in Kate’s gradual return to public royal duties as she prepares to join the Charles and William to honour the nation’s war dead.
However, the Queen’s attendance at Remembrance events will be subject to medical advice nearer the time, the Palace said.
Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.
Athena Stavrou9 November 2024 11:01