Queen Elizabeth hospitalized overnight, returned home after "preliminary investigations"

Toby Melville/Pool via AP

Queen Elizabeth II spent the night in London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital after canceling a trip to Northern Ireland. She was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon and was discharged and returned to Windsor Castle on Thursday according to Buckingham Palace. The Queen, 95 years old, was advised by her doctor just the day before to rest for the next few days and give up drinking except for special occasions.

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The trip to Northern Ireland was an official one to mark the 100th anniversary of the partition of the island. Her doctor advised her to cancel it. The trip to the hospital was described as one necessary for some ‘preliminary investigations’. The overnight stay was for practical reasons. Buckingham Palace did not announce it at the time, citing medical privacy reasons.

The Palace said that the monarch was discharged yesterday morning and returned to Windsor Castle at lunchtime, where she is expected to recuperate for the rest of the week. She was not thought to have had an overnight hospital stay since March 2013, when she was treated for a stomach bug.

The Queen was understood to be in ‘good spirits’ and back at her desk reading her official government red boxes yesterday. Her admission is understood not to have been related to coronavirus. The Palace has not commented on whether the world’s longest reigning monarch has received her booster Covid jab, but given her age it is likely she has had it.

It is highly unusual that any major engagement would be cancelled at the last minute, suggesting that staff are taking no chances with the elderly head of state’s health.

The sovereign, whose husband the Duke of Edinburgh died just six months ago aged 99, has had a busy schedule since returning from Balmoral at the start of October. Including her return from the royal estate in Aberdeenshire, where she spent the summer, the Queen has travelled nearly 1,000 miles this month.

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Buckingham Palace is putting on a good show of acting as though it’s no big deal. That’s their job, of course, so as not to alarm everyone. Remember, when the Queen does pass away or finally turns the keys to the palace over to her idiot son, Charles, the world is stuck with him. Is anyone really looking forward to that? As is her typical fashion, she’s carrying on, keeping busy though the doctors have told her to rest. One nod to her increased fragility is her use of a walking stick in recent weeks.

On Tuesday eveninig, the day before she was hospitalized, she hosted a major Global Investment summit at Windsor Castle. She hosted a drinks reception at Windsor for billionaire business leaders such as Bill Gates after Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened the green investment conference ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. She is reported to have looked to be in good health and was smiling.

The head of state, who next year celebrates 70 years on the throne, is known for her robust health and the last time she is thought to have spent a night in hospital was in 2013 when she was suffering from symptoms of gastroenteritis.

She had a successful surgery to treat an eye cataract in 2018, and also had a knee operation in 2003. However, royal officials are loathe to discuss health issues in general, saying medical matters are private.

Earlier this month, she was seen using a walking stick for support in public for the first time, apart from after her knee operation, when she arrived at a service at London’s Westminster Abbey.

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The Queen is expected to rest at Windsor Castle and her aides say she has not canceled her plans to attend events for the UN climate summit in Glasglow at the end of the month. She will likely continue to hold private meetings next week but not do public appearances.

Let’s hope she gets the rest she needs and carries on to celebrate her 70th year on the throne. She’s a tough cookie and she’s had a rough year or so between the death of Prince Philip, ungrateful Prince Harry, and Randy Andy’s exposure as a perv who has sex with underage girls, she’s earned a few days off.

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