Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday morning that she had canceled a planned trip to Northern Ireland because her doctors advised her to take a day off.
But after the newspaper The Sun wrote about it, the royal house had to admit on Thursday night that she had taken some samples in hospital and stayed there overnight.
She returned to her residence at Windsor Castle from the private King Edward III Hospital in London on Thursday morning, according to the royal family “in good spirits”.
The news agency Press Association writes that the hospital stay was not announced because it was expected that it would only be a short stay. She stayed overnight for “practical reasons” because it was too late to drive the 42 miles back to Windsor.
Author Robert Hardman tells the BBC that there will probably be some annoyance at the castle over the news coming out, because they are concerned with “preserving the queen’s dignity”.
Cliche
But the BBC’s royal reporter Nicholas Witchell says that the royal house has not given a complete picture of the situation, and that rumors and speculation are therefore swirling.
– MEDIA PRINT: TV team outside Windsor Castle after it became known that Queen Elizabeth spent a night in hospital. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP / NTB
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He called the phrase “in good spirits” a palace cliché and an easy expression to resort to when needed.
The queen has previously received treatment at the hospital, which is known to be used by the royal family, among other things when she spent a night there for a stomach infection in 2013. It was the first time in 86 years that she was hospitalized.
Strong health
The now 95-year-old queen, who is head of state for Britain and 15 other Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is otherwise known for her strong health.
Only a few colds and a quick operation in 2018 for cataracts have been reported, without her having to be admitted.
Last week, she was seen in public for the first time with a cane during a service in Westminster Abbey, and in some cases in recent years she uses an elevator instead of the stairs at public events.
Royal House expert: – It’s a circus
She still rides horses and drives her own car on her properties in Scotland and England, and preparations are underway to celebrate that next year is 70 years since she became queen. She is also expected to shed light on the climate summit in Glasgow in November.
Bubble under the crown
While the corona pandemic was raging at its worst, she retired to Windsor with her husband Prince Philip, where they lived in a separate bubble with a dedicated staff of 20 people. In January, the two received their first coronary vaccine.
The information about the hospital stay will nevertheless inevitably lead to speculation. Her husband, Prince Philip, died in April, just a few weeks before he turned 100 years old.
He underwent surgery for a heart problem in March and spent several weeks in hospital before returning to Windsor where he died.
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