Could The Queen's Health Impact Her Platinum Jubilee Plans?

Buckingham Palace announced the extensive plans for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee and it is shaping up to be quite the affair. However, multiple concerns have popped up that may prove problematic for the grand event. Worries about the Queen's health have royal experts concerned that she won't be able to participate as planned; and Prince Andrew's legal troubles are certainly not helping either. 

The Platinum Jubilee is set to be a four-day-long celebration with extra bank holidays bookending the weekend in June 2022, per Buckingham Palace. The royals are planning a pageant, live music, the Trooping of the Color, and numerous church services around the UK. The Queen is also planning a public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, but health concerns may prevent her from doing so if the rumors about her struggles are to be believed. 

Norman Baker, a former government minister and author of the book "...and What Do You Do? What the Royal Family Don't Want You to Know," spoke with The Daily Beast about public perception of the Queen's health. "The fact of the queen missing the COP26 summit this weekend is very significant," he said. "There are suspicions she is really quite unwell and that we are not being told the whole truth, so the biggest question of all is whether there actually will be a jubilee next year." Baker added that the Queen's decision to stop horseback riding and walking her dogs seem to suggest that she isn't well at all. 

Queen Elizabeth has been in deep mourning since the passing of her husband, Prince Philip. A loss that surely took its toll. Add to that her recent health issues along with the highly publicized legal troubles of her son, Prince Andrew, and the Queen has a lot weighing on her these days. Prince Andrew, in particular, is expected to throw a wrench in the plans for the Platinum Jubilee — an event that marks 70 years since Elizabeth took the throne.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that Prince Andrew's scandal butts up against the big event, causing added stress for the family. "The news that the court case brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Prince Andrew will be heard in the run-up to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations is grim news for the Palace," he said, per The News. "It means that speculation which is certain to be sensational is likely to make headline news over the coming months." Prince Andrew is expected to be absent from the jubilee in light of recent events as well.

Planning such a grand affair for the Queen with so much going on may sound counterintuitive, but perhaps the jubilee is just what she needs to take her mind off of all of the chaos in her life. Here's hoping she's feeling up to celebrating on her special day!