Staying strong. Queen Elizabeth II‘s health has been the subject of much speculation after she completed a short hospital stay in October, but the 95-year-old royal isn’t ready to slow down too much.
The monarch first sparked concern after she walked with a cane during an October 12 appearance at Westminster Abbey in London for a Service of Thanksgiving. When the queen arrived at the church, her daughter, Princess Anne, handed her the accessory.
Earlier in the month, Elizabeth walked on her own during a visit to Scotland with her eldest son, Prince Charles. The royal matriarch is also the mother of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in April.
Three weeks after her Scottish appearance, the monarch canceled a trip to Northern Ireland after her medical team recommended that she take it easy.
“The Queen has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days,” Buckingham Palace said in an October 20 statement, adding that she was “in good spirits” and “disappointed” to miss the planned events.
One day later, a spokesperson for the palace revealed that Elizabeth spent the night in the hospital after canceling her Northern Ireland plans. “Following medical advice to rest for a few days, The Queen attended hospital on [October 20] for some preliminary investigations, returning to Windsor Castle at lunchtime today, and remains in good spirits,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on October 21.
The queen seemed to recuperate within a few days, returning to work on October 26 to receive ambassadors from Korea and Switzerland via video link. Later that day, however, Buckingham Palace confirmed that she would not attend an upcoming event in Scotland.
“Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message,” the palace said in a statement. The monarch was set to appear at a reception on November 1 with other world leaders, including President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Earlier in October, news broke that the queen previously declined an award called Oldie of the Year presented by The Oldie magazine.
“Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel,” Tom Laing-Baker, the royal’s assistant private secretary, wrote in a letter that The Oldie shared via social media on October 19. “As such the Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you find a more worthy recipient.”
Keep scrolling for everything we know about the queen’s recent health scare: