Royal aides planning 'military style operation' to ensure the Queen attends Prince Philip's memorial service
Royal insiders have claimed "everything is being looked at" to ensure the Queen can attend Prince Philip's memorial service at the end of the month.
- A "military style operation" is being planned to make sure the Queen is "comfortable" to attend the memorial service following recent bouts of ill-health.
- The 95-year-old monarch could be flown by helicopter to reduce time spent
- This royal news comes after the Queen has ‘wheelchair-friendly’ lift fitted at her Scottish retreat
A memorial service is being held for Prince Philip in a matter of days and the Queen's attendance is currently "hanging in the balance" due to her growing frailty.
And now it has emerged that royal aides are doing everything in their power to ensure the Queen can attend and be comfortable doing so.
According to the Express, a Buckingham Palace source said, "Everything is being looked at to make sure the Queen makes it to Philip’s service. But the most important thing is to make sure she is comfortable.
"She must be there, and the best and most capable minds are hard at work doing their very best to make it work."
The Queen has been forced to skip several events in recent months as she continues to grow old, so other avenues are being looked at to make it possible for her to attend the service, including a helicopter ride.
The insider added, "The Queen couldn’t go to the Commonwealth ceremony because they couldn’t take her all that distance as it’s very uncomfortable in all that traffic.
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"The best way is to fly by helicopter from Windsor to Buckingham Palace, then she only has a short drive to endure.
"A 15-minute flight is better than an hour in the back of a car."
With news that Prince Harry will skip Prince Philip's memorial service, all eyes are on which members of the royal family will be there to pay tribute to Prince Philip, who passed away one year ago.
And while the Queen is desperate to be there, royal experts are saying she's having to "accept her own limitations" as she prepares to turn 96.
Russell Myers told The Royal Beat, "You have to be realistic. [She is] just weeks away from 96, she has accepted her own limitations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF6NYwNNCwg
"She’s having issues moving around, [and is] described by people at the Palace as having good days and less good days... I don’t think we’ll ever see her step back, but we probably will see her less and less.
"Will she make Prince Philip ’s memorial service in a few days? That’s in the balance.”
The Queen is incredibly proud and doesn't want the public to see her using a wheelchair, which means aides are having to come up with complex plans to shield her from public view.
"The Queen has told her staff that she doesn’t want to use a wheelchair but they can give her assistance to get through the side entrance and into the Abbey to speed up the process.
"She can get out of the car in private with her walking stick and there are efforts being made to keep photographers away. But if she needs the wheelchair, then that must be done behind screens or once she is in the side entrance."
Georgia is a Celebrity and Royal Writer working across GoodTo and Woman & Home, and the Director and Founder of communications company Farq Media. Prior to this she was Online Editor at New! Magazine – managing all of their digital content and social media accounts. Where she interviewed all of the hottest reality TV stars and spent far too much time commuting to London. She trained at Nottingham Trent University – where she achieved First Class Honours in Print Journalism whilst juggling copious amounts of work experience, freelance writing, blogging and having far too much fun with the dance society.
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