The Queen will not attend Friday’s Jubilee ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral after feeling unwell during the parade at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
According to the palace, the choice was taken with “great reluctance” after considering the “journey and activity required.” She did, however, join a beacon lighting ceremony on Thursday evening.
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Four days of festivities commemorating the Queen’s 70-year reign began earlier this week. The 96-year-old queen appeared twice on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, joined by other senior royals, as they watched a military parade and waved to hundreds of well-wishers on The Mall.
The palace said she will not attend Friday’s thanksgiving service hours after the event, but she “would like to thank all those who made today such a special occasion.”
The Queen is scheduled to attend the Derby at Epsom Racecourse on Saturday, although it is unclear whether she will still present at the horse race.
The event at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London will praise the Queen for her seven decades as ruler. The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will all be there, with Prince Charles formally representing the Queen.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also attend, having flown in from California. It will be Prince Harry and Meghan’s first royal function together since their departure from the United Kingdom two years ago. Prince Andrew, on the other hand, will be missing due to a positive Covid-19 test.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will read from the New Testament, while Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell will deliver the sermon. The 16-tonne Great Paul church bell, the biggest in the UK, will strike continuously for four hours following the ceremony.
