For health reasons, Queen Elizabeth appears less and less in public. For a long time it remains unclear whether the monarch will also cancel the annual summer break in Scotland. Now, however, the British Queen is beaming at a traditional ceremony in Edinburgh.
For the first time since her platinum anniversary, Queen Elizabeth II has appeared in public at an appointment. Wearing a powder blue suit, Britain's Queen smiled as she was welcomed at the Ceremony of the Keys in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The monarch was symbolically given the key to the city, which she then handed over to the elected officials for safekeeping.
The 96-year-old traditionally spends some time in Scotland in the summer, where she has two residences: Balmoral Castle in the Highlands and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Because of her health problems in recent weeks, it was uncertain until recently whether the monarch would take the trip. During the ceremony at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh, the Queen leaned on a walking stick, as she had done so often in recent weeks.
The Queen was joined at the welcoming ceremony by her youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Countess Sophie. Heir to the throne Prince Charles and daughter Princess Anne are also expected to attend various events in Scotland soon. The second oldest son of Queen Prince Andrew will be missing. He largely withdrew from public life years ago because of his involvement in a sexual abuse scandal.
At the beginning of June, the Queen appeared three times on the balcony of her London residence, Buckingham Palace, during the celebrations for her 70th birthday. Hundreds of thousands had cheered the Queen, who was visibly moved by the reception.
The head of state has been suffering from mobility problems for months. She spent a night in the hospital in October last year, the exact cause of which was never disclosed. Since then, the Queen has repeatedly canceled official appointments. According to the palace, she will not attend the summer festivals at Buckingham Palace and Holyrood either. For her anniversary, however, Elizabeth had promised that she would continue to serve the country as best she could, "supported by my family".
