Members of the Royal Family are expected to assemble to St Paul’s Cathedral today for the Queen’s Thanksgiving Service, which she will be viewing on TV from Windsor Castle after being ordered to leave last night.
The 96-year-old queen will be represented by Prince Charles at the service in London today morning, which will also be attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the first time in two years.
The Queen, however, will be absent from the celebration due to a last-minute decision made by Buckingham Palace at 7.30pm yesterday after experiencing ‘discomfort’ during Trooping The Colour activities earlier in the day.
Prince Andrew will also not be making an appearance at St Paul’s after testing positive for coronavirus. The service will be televised nationally on BBC One, and the Queen will be watching it from her Berkshire home.
Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair and his wife Cherie were among the first political guests to arrive, followed by ex-Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Theresa May, and David Cameron, as well as their wives.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon came shortly after, accompanied by her husband and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. On either side of the Great West Door, members of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force lined up.
The Queen is thought to have had episodic mobility concerns yesterday, and Buckingham Palace said in a statement that she ‘greatly appreciated’ her birthday parade and flypast but ‘did feel some discomfort.’
It said: ‘Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty, with great reluctance, has concluded that she will not attend.’
It is understood the decision ahead of the service, which begins at 11.30am today, was considered regrettable but sensible due to the length of the journey and time involved and the physical demands the service would require.
The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are among the senior members of the monarchy who will be joined by the wider royal family this morning.
In front of 2,000 guests, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Cabinet ministers, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and former prime leaders, tributes will be paid to the Queen’s ’70 years of faithful and dedicated service.’
The religious event’s central focus is public service, and 400 honorees, including NHS and important staff who were recognized for their work during the pandemic, are expected to attend.
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