What are “occasional mobility problems”? Why is the queen absent from the opening of parliament?
The Queen is absent from the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in nearly 60 years as she continues to suffer from “occasional mobility problems.”
This is only the third time the 96-year-old monarch has not attended the inauguration during her reign. The first was in 1959, when she was pregnant. Prince Andrew and the second was in 1963, just before Prince Edward was greeted.
Michal Boyd, an associate professor at Oakland University and a nurse practitioner who specializes in the care of the elderly, says the scientific term for such problems is frailty. “Essentially, as people age, they become more frail,” she said. “You lose muscle mass, and when you lose it, you become increasingly weak and unable to move.”
Queen Elizabeth II before the Queen’s address to the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords on May 11, 2021 in London, England.
Queen Elizabeth II before the Queen’s address to the House of Lords during the state opening of Parliament in the House of Lords on May 11, 2021 in London, England.
“The Queen continues to experience occasional mobility problems and, in consultation with her doctors, has reluctantly decided that she will not attend tomorrow’s State Opening of Parliament,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.