Queen Elizabeth is not going to appoint the next prime minister in London. In a colossal break from tradition, she’s going to welcome whoever the new leader of Great Britain is to her home in Balmoral. This raises questions about her health and well-being.
Century Of Tradition
Fourteen people have served as prime minister during the reign of Elizabeth. The incumbent was Winston Churchill, and the most recent was Boris Johnson. Each and every one of them was appointed in London. Amid some present turmoil, however, Elizabeth is about to appoint her first prime minister elsewhere in England.
This week, the palace has announced Elizabeth is not making the 1,000-mile round trip from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace. Whoever the conservative party names as Prime Minister will instead travel north on September 6 to meet with Elizabeth. The reason seems to be Elizabeth’s flagging health with her mobility a major concern.
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Innumerable scandals brought down Boris Johnson. His office holding parties in the thick of COVID-19 caused outrage across the commonwealth. The conservative party votes in September to decide on his successor. It’s down to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
As far as royal responsibilities go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Elizabeth will task her 15th prime minister with forming a new government. It’s ceremonial, but then again, so is everything in the royal family. Elizabeth also balked at tradition when she sent Prince Charles to open Parliament this year. It’s very hard to imagine the royal family or the United Kingdom without Elizabeth at the head, but these canceled plans show she may not be around much longer.
The Highland Games
There’s been another twist in royal announcements, for Elizabeth has also changed her plans to attend the Highland Games. The Highland Games take place on the first Saturday in September every year in Scotland. A last-minute decision has been made for the comfort of Elizabeth, though Prince Charles will still attend. It’s one thing to say Elizabeth isn’t well enough to travel to London, but it would seem that not being able to go around Scotland isn’t a good sign for her long-term health.
The fact that Elizabeth is hunkering down at Balmoral is yet another sign of her mobility issues. The royal family has a conundrum between comforting the 97-year-old queen and covering all her commitments. With how traditional Elizabeth has been her whole life, she wouldn’t be bucking the rules now if it wasn’t serious.