Queen’s absence ‘due to fear of repeating haunting image of sister before she died’

The Queen has missed several appointments recently, but has made it clear that her attendance at events and occasions should not come at any cost

The Queen’s absences in public are due to fears of replicating her sister six months before her death, it is alleged.

She is now approaching her 96th birthday, but despite her age, she still fulfills a large number of tasks.

The monarch also speaks by phone with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and still signs many documents in her red box that she goes through daily.

But her choice not to attend last week’s Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey showed a weaker side.

Buckingham Palace, insisted it was about her own comfort, but others suggested it was about maintaining decency.

But she has made it clear that her presence at events and occasions should not be at all costs.

Royal aides don’t want her to replicate her sister Princess Margaret, who was seen in public in a wheelchair six months before she died.

A source in the palace said: “It’s a haunting image and not one that the Queen remembers fondly,”

The celebration was in August 2001, where a photo for the Queen Mother’s 101st birthday was organized.

But Margaret, the queen’s sister, recovered after a series of strokes and was not scheduled to appear.

William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s page, then pushed Margaret into a wheelchair in front of the waiting media.

Margaret was known for her glamorous appearance that lasted well into middle age. The world had never seen her like this.

A source who remembers the occasion told the Daily Mail: “The optics were appalling. It was supposed to be about the Queen Mother, but all anyone saw was a sadly deteriorating Princess Margaret.”

The palace courtiers were furious with Tallon for seeing her in a wheelchair in public.

The Queen remembers the occasion and the way it was handled, and was not happy that her sister was seen in that light.

She also believes that she “must be seen to be believed”.

Last month, the Mirror told the Queen how the Queen had postponed a diplomatic reception on the advice of the Foreign Secretary, Buckingham Palace has said.

It is not clear why she made the decision or whether it has anything to do with the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

She was due to meet hundreds of members of the Diplomatic Corps in Windsor on Wednesday, March 2.

But the following Tuesday, she canceled scheduled virtual appointments as she continued to experience mild cold symptoms due to Covid-19.