Queen, 96, pulls out of attending Highland Games this weekend

The Queen will not attend the Braemar Gathering this weekend, with royal sources saying the decision has been taken for her ‘comfort’ – although Prince Charles who normally accompanies her will still be there.

The late announcement comes after the Mail on Sunday reported last weekend that Her Majesty had been ‘carefully considering’ whether she was fit enough to attend the event as concerns grow over her mobility issues.

The Highland Games, which are often attended by the Queen and the prime minister of the day, are usually a highlight in the monarch’s calendar. They are held at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar.

But royal sources confirmed today that there were two main issues in terms of the Queen’s attendance – firstly getting her to the games, but also that she would have to sit in public for a long period of time to watch them.

The Games are classed as a ‘private’ event in Her Majesty’s calendar and not a public engagement. It is understood that the 96-year-old monarch had originally hoped she would be at the event which begins tomorrow.

This year’s competition – which will see contestants battle it out in caber-tossing and tug-of-war in front of spectators and can be watched live on an official stream – is the first to be held since the start of the pandemic.

More to follow 

Queen Elizabeth II attends an Armed Forces Act of Loyalty Parade at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on June 28

The Royal Box at the Braemar Gathering games field in the Highlands is pictured being prepared by workers yesterday

The Lonach Pipe Band march through Braemar during a scaled-back Braemar Gathering due to Covid on September 4, 2021

THe Queen with Prince Charles, Camilla, Autumn Phillips and Peter Phillips at the Braemar Gathering on September 7, 2019