Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh; 29 March 2022


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ladongas said:
President Roosevelt used a wheelchair of his own design- essentially a wooden dining chair with bicycle-like wheels. It gave him a more upright posture. And several years ago when Camillahad a broken leg, she initially used a standard wheelchair; she switched to a mobility scooter to enable her to interact with people more readily. Queen on a scooter? Why not?
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I agree that if the Queen needs to be on a wheelchair to traverse the long aisle of the Abbey, so be it. However, I am equally respectful of the supposed decision of the Queen to not want to be seen in a wheel chair as long as she can possibly avoid it, it is entirely her choice.

I do not think the example of Camilla is particularly relevant though. My sense is that the Queen probably sees the use of a wheelchair as a clear and physical manifestation of her declining physical health, and perhaps, in the minds of some, possibly of her increasingly inability to do her job. I suspect she has no countenance with that.

In Camilla's case, it was just a question of a broken limb that would have healed in a few weeks.
 
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I hope that this Memorial service will be about Prince Phillip and not the Queen's mobility.


Part of me thinks she will enter the abbey and walk down the aisle as normal to dampen the rumours of her mobility issues. I really hope that is the case - even if she aided with a walking stick
 
PrincessofEurope said:
I hope that this Memorial service will be about Prince Phillip and not the Queen's mobility.
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I have no doubt that the focus of the day will be on the Prince. There may be a bit of press coverage in relation to HM's mobility, but I suspect that will very much be a small part of the overall narrative of the day.
 
:lol:
muriel said:
I agree that if the Queen needs to be on a wheelchair to traverse the long aisle of the Abbey, so be it. However, I am equally respectful of the supposed decision of the Queen to not want to be seen in a wheel chair as long as she can possibly avoid it, it is entirely her choice.

I do not think the example of Camilla is particularly relevant though. My sense is that the Queen probably sees the use of a wheelchair as a clear and physical manifestation of her declining physical health, and perhaps, in the minds of some, possibly of her increasingly inability to do her job. I suspect she has no countenance with that.

In Camilla's case, it was just a question of a broken limb that would have healed in a few weeks.
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There’s nothing shameful nor embarrassing about using a wheelchair if you need one. I think it would be a fine message for HM to endorse. The thought that they would put up privacy screens to hide her doesn’t sit very well with me. The Queen has never seemed to be a vain or overly prideful woman. For the most part, her subjects adore her and would not change their opinions as her frailty advances.

Heck, put some wheels on a fabulous royal chair, one that would keep her sweet face at a higher level than a regular wheelchair. A standard wheelchair, like the one poor Margaret was photographed using, forces its user into a slumped position close to the floor. Give HM a chair fit for a Queen. But don’t pretend using a wheelchair is embarrassing. Wounded servicemen and police officers use them when needed.
 
sophie25 said:
I think Prince Albert will come from Monaco but on his own. If he can't I think he might send Caroline.
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Wouldn't Princess Caroline represent Hanover? I know she and Ernst August are living separate lives at the moment, but she is still the Princess of Hanover.

I suspect Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco will be there, and maybe the Sultan of Brunei. I would be very surprised if the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Yugoslavia weren't there - and maybe Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria (if he is well enough).
 
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This article in the Daily Mail claims Prince Andrew will attend the Thanksgiving service.

If this is true, I wonder how his entrance and departure will be handled?
 
Camsterlaird said:
Wouldn't Princess Caroline represent Hanover? I know she and Ernst August are living separate lives at the moment, but she is still the Princess of Hanover.
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The princess continues to sporadically attend official engagements in Monaco (where she resides), in addition to conducting private cultural and charitable work in the principality.


tommy100 said:
I suspect Anne Marie at least will be there representing Greece. The Danish royal calendar notes for the 27th - "HM The Queen, HRH Princess Benedict and HM Queen Anne-Marie attend "The Palaces Dance" and award Queen Ingrid's Honorary Scholarship in Christian IX's Palace with subsequent dinner in Christian VII's Palace. Amalienborg, at 19.00" I would guess if she is in Denmark on the Sunday she will stay on for the Tuesday service in London and maybe fly in with her sister? Just a guess.
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Although the relationship between Greece and its former royal family seems less conflictual than in years past, I don't think it has (yet) warmed to the point where the family will become representatives of the country in the manner seen in certain other Balkan states. It seems more likely that she will attend as a representative of the late Duke's family.


Sionevar said:
This article in the Daily Mail claims Prince Andrew will attend the Thanksgiving service.

If this is true, I wonder how his entrance and departure will be handled?
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Yes, that has been the consistent line of "palace sources" in the past few weeks.
 
Seems the Crown Prince and Princess are attending as the greek representatives
 
ladongas said:
But don’t pretend using a wheelchair is embarrassing. Wounded servicemen and police officers use them when needed.
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I would have thought the Queen would readily employ whatever mobility aids she needed to be able to perform her job as long as she could.. to think of them as tools, like Zoom, to be able to better reach her people. She rarely puts a foot wrong, but I think she's sending a bad message about disability and her PR people need to think this through. After all, many of her subjects are themselves disabled and need mobility aids just like her.



I chalk it up to her generation - stiff upper lip and all that. Also, perhaps British society has a different view. But... my American grandfather (long passed on, but born in 1920, so even from an earlier generation than the queen) readily hopped into the wheelchairs available at shopping centers and malls and let us push him around when he got older. He wanted out to be around people and didn't want to sit home. It really cheered him up. The Queen needs some "can do" spirit... She could help perceptions so much!
 
PrincessofEurope said:
Seems the Crown Prince and Princess are attending as the greek representatives
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It's the most likely option. Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal live part of the year in London. King Constantine II has mobility issues and lives in Greece.
 
So King Harald mostly wouldn't attend due to positive for COVID 19. I'm wondering would Queen Sonja still attend, or would she attend alone.
 
W.Y.CII said:
So King Harald mostly wouldn't attend due to positive for COVID 19. I'm wondering would Queen Sonja still attend, or would she attend alone.
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It is possible that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess may represent the King and Queen. I am sure that Queen Sonja does not want to, inadvertantly, transmit the virus to all the European royal families in one fail sweep!
 
Camsterlaird said:
Wouldn't Princess Caroline represent Hanover? I know she and Ernst August are living separate lives at the moment, but she is still the Princess of Hanover.
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If the Princess of Hanover attends HRH will be representing the Principality of Monaco and her brother the Sovereign Prince.
 
Camsterlaird said:
Wouldn't Princess Caroline represent Hanover? I know she and Ernst August are living separate lives at the moment, but she is still the Princess of Hanover.
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Caroline represented Monaco at the wedding of Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie in Luxembourg a few years ago. If she attends this event she will be representing Monaco again. I suspect though that Albert will attend by himself.
 
Sionevar said:
This article in the Daily Mail claims Prince Andrew will attend the Thanksgiving service.

If this is true, I wonder how his entrance and departure will be handled?
Click to expand...

I would expect Andrew to come in and leave through the main door. This is a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of his father.
 
ladongas said:
:lol:

There’s nothing shameful nor embarrassing about using a wheelchair if you need one. I think it would be a fine message for HM to endorse. The thought that they would put up privacy screens to hide her doesn’t sit very well with me. The Queen has never seemed to be a vain or overly prideful woman. For the most part, her subjects adore her and would not change their opinions as her frailty advances.

Heck, put some wheels on a fabulous royal chair, one that would keep her sweet face at a higher level than a regular wheelchair. A standard wheelchair, like the one poor Margaret was photographed using, forces its user into a slumped position close to the floor. Give HM a chair fit for a Queen. But don’t pretend using a wheelchair is embarrassing. Wounded servicemen and police officers use them when needed.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I think the Queen would use any means possible to be at this Service of Thanksgiving for her husband and consort for over 70 years. If she were to be advised to use a wheelchair, that's what she'd do.
 
Beth19 said:
I would have thought the Queen would readily employ whatever mobility aids she needed to be able to perform her job as long as she could.. to think of them as tools, like Zoom, to be able to better reach her people. She rarely puts a foot wrong, but I think she's sending a bad message about disability and her PR people need to think this through. After all, many of her subjects are themselves disabled and need mobility aids just like her.



I chalk it up to her generation - stiff upper lip and all that. Also, perhaps British society has a different view. But... my American grandfather (long passed on, but born in 1920, so even from an earlier generation than the queen) readily hopped into the wheelchairs available at shopping centers and malls and let us push him around when he got older. He wanted out to be around people and didn't want to sit home. It really cheered him up. The Queen needs some "can do" spirit... She could help perceptions so much!
Click to expand...

As far as I am aware it is only speculation that she does not want to use a wheelchair. Let's wait and see.
 
Osipi said:
To be honest, I think the Queen would use any means possible to be at this Service of Thanksgiving for her husband and consort for over 70 years. If she were to be advised to use a wheelchair, that's what she'd do.
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If the Queen was to use a wheelchair to attend the service, there may be difficulties in her getting into it from her regular car. This would have to be achieved in front of the world's media. Alternatively, if she were to use a vehicle with a hydraulic lift that deposits the wheelchair and its occupant to the ground, that would likely not be considered safe to travel in security-wise for HM. It's really rather complicated.
 
Camsterlaird said:
I suspect Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco will be there, and maybe the Sultan of Brunei. I would be very surprised if the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Yugoslavia weren't there - and maybe Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria (if he is well enough).
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Aren't the king and princess Lalla Salma (separated or) divorced? So, I don't expect her to attend... If the king himself isn't going to attend, he is more likely to send one of his siblings imho.
 
:previous: Lalla Salma represented her husband regularly until their divorce.

I can't remember the last time I saw photos of her out and about, let alone representing her husband in an official capacity, which is a shame.

She is so stunning and elegant.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015xsl

Starting at 10.30 am. The service will last 1 hour, 45 minutes, and will be available to watch on the BBC afterwards.

FROM THE BBC WEBPAGE From Westminster Abbey, Huw Edwards presents live coverage of the service of thanksgiving in memory of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the longest serving royal consort in history, who died last April at the age of 99.

Featuring readings and music close to the duke’s heart, the service commemorates the life and legacy of HM The Queen’s remarkable consort. Members of the royal family and members of the duke’s family will attend, as well as representatives from the many organisations the duke supported who were unable to attend the funeral, which was scaled down due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Prince Philip supported an exceptional number of causes during his lifetime, becoming patron of many hundreds of charities and organisations championing conservation, sport, industry and education. In 1956 he founded the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme to encourage the development of young people, which has since expanded to 144 nations and been completed by millions of young people around the world.

In the build-up to the service, Huw Edwards talks to those attending about the remarkable legacy the duke leaves behind.


Release date:29 March 2022
1 hour, 45 minutes
 
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Hallo girl said:
As far as I am aware it is only speculation that she does not want to use a wheelchair. Let's wait and see.
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She may well not like hte idea, or she may be able to get along without it. Not sure why it is an issue
 
I am wondering if some non royals leaders will attend the service : Nicolas and Carla Sarlozy as well as Barrack and Michelle Obama maybe .
 
I am just praying that King Harald will have recovered from Covid and be able to attend. He, Margarethe and Beatrix always seemed to me to be the closest to the Queen and Philip.
 
I feel a bit concnered that she HOPES to attend. I m sure that unless she was very fragile, nothing would prevent her from attending..
 
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