LONDON (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II has appeared at the balcony of Buckingham Palace, delighting fans who had hoped to catch a glimpse of her during the final day of festivities marking the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
The 96-year-old monarch has curtailed her schedule in recent months due to problems moving around, which the palace describes as “periodic mobility issues.”
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smiles to the crowd from Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations. – The curtain comes down on four days of momentous nationwide celebrations to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s historic Platinum Jubilee with a day-long pageant lauding the 96-year-old monarch’s record seven decades on the throne. (Photo by Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prior to Sunday, the queen had only appeared in public twice during the four-day Platinum Jubilee.
On Thursday, Elizabeth joined other members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace as they waved to supporters following the Queen’s Birthday Parade.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 05: Original golden coronation carriage with hologram of the Queen is seen during the Platinum Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Later the same day, she took part in a national beacon lighting ceremony at Windsor Castle, the royal residence 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of London where she has spent much of the past two years.
But she didn’t attend a church service in her honor on Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in central London, and she decided not to travel to the Epsom Derby horse race on Saturday.
The queen also missed the gala party outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday night, though she did appear in a pre-recorded skit with Paddington Bear.