Prince Charles stands in for the Queen, returns to royal 'front line' amid news of monarch's ill heath
Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Sophie Wessex, and Princess Anne hosted guests at a stunning garden party on June 29, which the Queen did not attend despite being in residence. The Queen hosts a number of garden parties each summer at Buckingham Palace as well as one in Edinburgh at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Before the party, it was announced that while the scheduled parties would be going ahead, the Queen would not be attending. A statement from the Palace said, “Her Majesty The Queen will be represented by other Members of the Royal Family at this year’s Garden Parties, with details on attendance to be confirmed in due course.”
On the occasion, Princess Anne was seen standing in for Prince Charles' mother. The Queen traveled up to Edinburgh with her son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie. The royals honored those who have contributed favorably to Scottish communities at the party. Prince Charles took a more prominent position, possibly getting ready to ascend the throne. Such a development might be on the cards as he takes the lead without the Queen by his side. Earlier, due to her mobility problems, the reigning monarch had to cancel her attendance at a number of Platinum Jubilee festivities. It's claimed that the 96-year-old Queen felt it would be difficult to welcome guests for over an hour while standing and walking during her yearly garden festivities.
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Earlier, pictures of the Queen meeting with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon stoked new health concerns. An expert speculated that the dark purple appearance of the monarch's hands was a symptom of the Queen's ill health. According to Metro, the dark coloring of the Queen's hands could be brought on by a variety of conditions, according to GP Giuseppe Aragona, including, "A lack of circulation, frail skin, exposed veins, bruising, a leakage of blood to the tissue beneath the skin causing the color. It could be cyanosis which occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the blood."
Previously the Queen also skipped both the Easter Sunday Service at St George's Chapel the month prior and the State Opening of Parliament in early May. In June, she kept her participation limited to a few key events during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and was spotted using a walking stick at most events. According to Daily Mail, following the Queen's withdrawal from public life due to mobility concerns last month, the Prince of Wales read the Queen's Speech during the Opening of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle's biographer Omid Scobie praised Charles, saying, "While there is an argument that the prince needs to tone down his political views as a future king, I have always found it admirable that, despite the constrictions of his role, he has been unafraid to address issues that others consider too political."
