Ever since Queen Elizabeth cancelled her appearance at COP26 and cleared her schedule for two full weeks, she’s been telegraphing that she’s feeling just fine, thank you very much. She’s still doing some light Zooming and “desk duties,” and she’s been photographed driving herself around both Windsor and Sandringham. She went to Sandringham last Thursday, and she returned to Windsor today, Tuesday. She took a helicopter for both trips after her doctors cleared her for travel. Apparently, she’s still hellbent on doing Remembrance Day events this coming weekend.
The Queen today returned to Windsor Castle by helicopter following a short break at Sandringham as she continues her rest ahead amid her determination to be fit for Remembrance Sunday this weekend. The 95-year-old monarch was photographed taking off in a Sikorsky S76C, known as The Queen’s Helicopter Flight, at about 11.15am this morning – five days after arriving at her Norfolk country estate on Thursday last week.
Witnesses said the helicopter landed at Sandringham at around 10am, before the Queen was driven through the estate towards it. A Notam (notice to airmen) was put in place, meaning no one else was allowed to fly in the area.
Buckingham Palace previously said it is the Queen’s ‘firm intention’ to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday wreath-laying service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall this Sunday to honour Britain’s war dead, which is one of the most sacred events in her annual calendar. It would be her first in-person event since a reception on October 19.
Buckingham Palace has refused to comment officially on the Queen’s long weekend away, although a royal source confirmed to MailOnline today: ‘The Queen has returned to Windsor Castle from her private weekend away.’
And a royal source told Mirror Online today: ‘The Queen was delighted to have been able to make the trip to Sandringham, which she had been planning for some time. Her doctors cleared her for the short helicopter flight, on the agreed understanding she would continue to rest. Her Majesty is determined to make the Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph this week, a date that is cemented in her diary. It will be a huge boost for both herself and the veterans for the Queen to make the event.’
I’m curious whether the palace will make any changes to the arrivals/departures for Remembrance Day and changes to how the Queen is photographed in general. My guess/assumption is that they’ll only allow her to be photographed on the balcony, carefully arranged so that we don’t have to see her walk. I could be wrong! In fact, I hope I am wrong. Maybe she was only temporarily unsteady on her feet. As for her four-day long-weekend in Sandringham… I’m curious about that, but I guess she really just wanted some peace and quiet. People are probably hovering around her constantly at Windsor.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Good heavens, they’re just going to prop her up and hope for the best. Wow.
I have never watched remembrance day live ,i only ever see pics. Exactly how long do the women stand at the balcony ?
They’re going to prop her up somehow, maybe lean on something that is pushed behind her. The rest of the family will gather to hide it, with RepliKate standing in close attendance so everyone sees how close they are and how she dotes on queen.
Weekend At Queenie’s.
Shame that Charles is so I liked and Will is so incompetent that QEII can’t get any rest in the Winter of her life.
It was interesting they mentioned the Notam which closed the airspace for the Queen. I wonder if those are also issued when the Cambridges go to Norfolk. If so, maybe some journalist should be tracking these things to find out just how much they travel back and forth from KP when they aren’t doing engagements.
Also I just figured out that kate has been in hiding for over a week because she has to prepare her next faux military outfit for Remembrance Day.
She’s flying back and forth in that helicopter. Poor Charles and Wills must be beside themselves with granny’s lack of concern for the environment! 🤣
Kate in that outfit will never not make me laugh. It’s so literal. And why can’t they convince this woman to rest? It reminds when we had to sell my 98yo grandfather’s car to get him to stop driving. Old people are ornery.
So many helicopter rides.
I think the Palace is going to limit the press to filming/photographing her standing on the balcony.
I have a tin-foil hat theory ~ maybe Harry was in town with his family and they had a lovely visit.
If Harry and his family were in town, the Palace would have leaked it to the press already. He’s more likely to be in NY than London at the moment.
I’d love for that to be true. And the photographic proof appears on the piano at the Christmas address. The BM would lose their collective mind.
So much for Betty thoughts on climate change with her and her helicopter
Part of me thinks that this conspicuous helicopter ride back and forth on the heels of COP26 was intentionally done to combat the idea that the royals were being “too woke.” There’s no reason she couldn’t have rested just as easily at Windsor as she allegedly needed to do at Sandringham.
Marie Claire magazine ran a story that Harry was going to spend Christmas with his grandmother and that Meghan had refused to go. It was such wishful thinking on their part, as if Harry would miss Lilibet’s first Christmas for Christmas at Sandringham which from descriptions sound like a nightmare. If Charles is planning to turn the place into a museum once the Queen is gone it tells you all you need to know about his thought on that family tradition.
I admire her devotion to her duty and the nation’s veterans. Hope she can get through the day with her health intact.
However the recent picture of her, on return looks nothing like her. Who is that?. Also it was said the flag was not lowered, like it usually is when she is not at windsor, is that protocol?, as some are saying she never left. The queen is being dragged, and the boys also on the dailymail of all places.
Now we know the story they released about her return was a fake out. They know, and we all know, she is unofficially retired, and Charles is the de facto Regent.