Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the upcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The monarch was set to appear at a reception on Nov. 1 with other world leaders, including President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, though she has canceled her attendance following medical advice to rest, Buckingham Palace confirmed Tuesday. This marks the second such cancellation in recent days for the monarch, whose health has been the subject of speculation for weeks now.
In a statement, the Palace confirmed that “Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the evening reception of COP26 on Monday, 1 November,” according to the BBC. The statement added that the Queen, who earlier this month was overheard stating the lack of action on tackling the climate crisis was “irritating,” is “disappointed not to attend the reception.” The Palace said that while the Queen will not attend in person, as had been planned, she will “deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message.” According to the BBC, the 95-year-old monarch remains hopeful the COP26 conference result in meaningful action on climate change and “hopes her absence will not be used by others as a reason not to attend. CBS News notes that Prince Charles and Prince William and Kate Middleton are still scheduled to attend the Glasgow climate summit.
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The announcement comes after the Queen last Wednesday “reluctantly” accepted advice from her doctors to cancel a two-day visit to Northern Ireland, where she was to mark the centenary of partition and Northern Ireland’s foundation. The palace said at the time that Her Majesty would instead stay home to rest. Just hours later, it was announced that the monarch spent Wednesday night at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London for “preliminary investigations,” though further details regarding her hospital stay, her first overnight stay in eight years, were not provided. The statement said that the Queen remained in “good spirits” after returning home Thursday afternoon to Windsor Castle, where she began to undertake light duties.
On Tuesday, the Queen took part in two virtual audiences from her home, greeting the South Korean and Swiss ambassadors. The official social accounts for the royal family shared images of those meetings. An official record of the Queen’s diary showed at least 16 formal events during October. It is unclear if more engagements will be canceled. The Queen’s health has been in question since early October when she was spotted using a cane in public, something she had last been seen doing back in 2003.
