London: British Prime Minister Lizz Truss on Thursday left the nation concerned about Queen Elizabeth’s health.
As the prime minister said her thoughts are with the Queen and her family, hundreds of people said they should prepare for a new monarch.
The Queen on Wednesday postponed a meeting of her Privy Council advisory group after doctors advised her to rest, the day after she appointed Liz Truss as Britain’s new prime minister.
The announcement came a day after she was seen shaking hand with Truss in a picture released by the royal family.
Senior royal biographer and expert Angela Levin, while commenting on the picture, said a large bruise on the monarch’s hand could mean she has been receiving injections.
The picture left millions of royal fans worried about her health, with many people wondering whether the long reign of the Queen is about to end with her impending death.
The 96-year-old monarch, who is currently on her traditional summer retreat at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands, has been dogged by problems walking and standing since last year, forcing her to cancel a series of public engagements.
Fears about a flare-up of what royal officials call “episodic mobility problems” prevented her returning to London to accept outgoing leader Boris Johnson’s resignation and to appoint Truss on Tuesday.
The constitutional role — the so-called “kissing of the hands” ceremony — usually takes place at Buckingham Palace in London.
It was the first time it had been held outside London since 1952, when Winston Churchill met the new queen at Heathrow Airport after the death of her father, George VI.
Meetings of the Privy Council, a kind of royal advisory body dating back hundreds of years and comprising hundreds of members, including religious and political leaders, usually happen monthly.
Wednesday’s scheduled virtual event would have seen Truss take an oath and new cabinet ministers sworn into their roles, and also admitted new ministers to be privy counsellors if they were not already.
Last week, Britain’s longest-serving monarch skipped the Highland Games event, a traditional highlight of her summer in Scotland.
The latest cancellations will revive concerns about her health.
She has cut back on public engagements since last October after an unscheduled overnight stay in hospital for an undisclosed condition.
She was also hit by a bout of Covid earlier this year, that she said left her “exhausted”.