Fears grew on Thursday for Queen Elizabeth II after Buckingham Palace said her doctors were \u201cconcerned\u201d for her health and recommended that she remain under medical supervision.
\nThe 96-year-old head of state \u2014 Britain\u2019s longest-serving monarch \u2014 has been dogged by health problems since last October that has left her struggling to walk and stand.
\nThe queen \u2014 an instantly recognisable figure to billions of people across the world \u2014 is in her Platinum Jubilee year, marking 70 years since she succeeded her father king George VI in 1952.
\nAll her children \u2014 heir to the throne Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 72, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58, were either at or heading to Balmoral, royal officials said.
\nOn Wednesday, the queen pulled out of a planned meeting with her senior political advisors, after being told to rest.
\nThe previous day she held audiences at her Scottish Highlands retreat, Balmoral, with outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson and appointed his successor, Liz Truss.
\n\u201cFollowing further evaluation this morning, the queen\u2019s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty\u2019s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,\u201d Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
\n\u201cThe queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral,\u201d the palace added. The palace statement about the queen\u2019s health is highly unusual. \u201cThe palace does not issue bulletins on the queen\u2019s health unless it\u2019s significant,\u201d royal commentator and author Robert Hardman told the BBC.
\n\u2018Deeply concerned\u2019
\nIt comes after she has looked visibly frailer in recent months, and a succession of withdrawals from public engagements.
\nShe has taken to walking with the help of a stick and was also seen earlier this year at the Chelsea Flower Show touring the site in a motorised buggy. In February she was laid low by a bout of Covid, which she admitted afterwards had left her \u201cexhausted\u201d.
\nOfficially, the palace has said only that the queen has been suffering from \u201cepisodic mobility problems\u201d but given no further details.
\nShe spent an unscheduled night in hospital in central London in October 2021 and was advised to slow down.
\nShe has pulled out of ceremonial engagements, delegating more to Charles, including the State Opening of Parliament and the Trooping the Colour military parade to mark her official birthday.
\nMoments before Thursday\u2019s announcement, notes were passed to Truss and senior members of her team in parliament, prompting them to leave the chamber.
\nTruss tweeted almost immediately afterwards: \u201cThe whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,\u201d she added.
\n\u201cMy thoughts \u2013 and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom \u2013 are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.\u201d
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