Queen Elizabeth II has been taken under medical supervision on the advice of concerned doctors. Confirmation has come from Buckingham Palace, which says that the Queen remains in her Scotland home of Balmoral while receiving treatment. The official notice reads:
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 Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.
Any news that doctors are worried about the Queen’s health should be treated very seriously. At 96 years old she has continued to work — notably greeting new Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week — but has scaled back her public appearances and let other members of the Royal Family take on official duties due to her age and having increasingly limited movement.
The Queen, the only British monarch the vast majority of the world has ever known, was born in 1927, acceded to the throne in 1936 on the abdication of King Edward VII, and took the throne at the age of 25 in February 1952 on the death of her father King George VI.
This makes her the longest-reigning living monarch, having been on the throne for 70 years and 214 days. She’s also the second-longest reigning monarch in history, after King Louis XIV of France, who reigned for 72 years and 110 days from 1643 to 1715.
Though easily one of the most famous people on the planet, the Queen’s personal life is now familiar to millions thanks to Netflix’s award-winning The Crown, which has taken us through decades of her life and will soon continue with its fifth season (with Imelda Staunton taking up the role) in November 2022.
More on this developing situation as we hear it.