Liz Truss has said she is “deeply concerned” about news that the Queen is under medical supervision.
In a statement released this afternoon, Buckingham Palace said: “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision.”
The 96-year-old monarch “remains comfortable and at Balmoral”, the Palace added.
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Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Anne are said to be with her, while other members of the family - including Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - are on their way.
“The announcement will escalate fears for the monarch’s health,” said The Times, which noted that she “pulled out of a remote privy council yesterday after doctors ordered her to rest”.
The new prime minister tweeted that the “whole country will be deeply concerned by the news”.
“My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time,” said Truss, who was invited to form a government by the Queen during an audience at Balmoral on Tuesday.
Sky News reported that Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle “interrupted a debate on energy bills in the House of Commons to update MPs about the Queen’s health”.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer said he was “deeply worried” by the news.
The Queen “was forced to miss out on some celebrations to mark her Platinum Jubilee in June, including a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral after experiencing discomfort” during the birthday parade and flypast a day earlier.
Following today’s statement from the Palace, the BBC’s royal correspondent Sean Coughlan said that “pressing concerns for the Queen’s health” have been “much more explicitly put than before”.
“There are also warnings against unfounded speculation,” he said. But “there is no mistaking the fragility of the Queen’s health”.
