Queen Elizabeth Seen With a Walking Stick for the First Time In 17 Years

Queen Elizabeth was first pictured using a cane for support back in 2003 after she underwent surgery to remove torn cartilage from her right knee, according to CNN. However, on October 12, 2021, the 95-year-old monarch was spotted using a walking stick during an event in London's Westminster Abbey. She was attending a service to mark the centenary of UK armed forces charity the Poppy Legion.

Unsurprisingly, well-wishers of the Queen were worried if this meant that her health is compromised. A royal source revealed that the monarch only used the stick for her "comfort."

She was reportedly handed the stick when she stepped out of her royal vehicle before making her way inside the abbey. Thanks to the cane, she managed to walk steadily across the cobbled floor, as it provided her with a safety net while making her way from the limo to the event, per Cosmopolitan. She was accompanied by her daughter, Princess Anne, 71. 

PEOPLE reports that the Queen and Princess Anne, who gave a reading, joined serving military personnel, veterans, and volunteers at Westminster Abbey. An anthem, originally commissioned for the 75th anniversary of VE Day, was also sung publicly for the first time.

The Queen had undergone knee surgery all those years ago because the then-76-year-old had twisted her knee while walking on uneven ground during a visit to the Newmarket racecourse in eastern England before Christmas. It was a 45-minute minor operation to remove torn cartilage after which her knee was expected to be “fully active again within a few weeks,” per a CNN article from 2003.  “Her Majesty will rest at Sandringham over the next two weeks and will then resume a limited programme of engagements until she has made a full recovery,” read statement from the palace.

16 years later, in 2019, Queen Elizabeth once again, complained of troubles from her knee, but she did nothing to fix the issue, reports Express. “She was talking to friends at the Chelsea Flower Show and said her knees were playing up. But she is reluctant to have an op due to the time it would take to recover. She is incredibly brave. People from her and Philip’s generation battle through problems and carry on. And Her Majesty doesn’t like to cause any fuss.”

Hopefully,  the Queen is okay and her public appearance with the cane was only because she needed some support, and not because of troubles with her knee again. 

References:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/12/uk/queen-elizabeth-walking-stick-intl/index.html

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a37938578/queen-elizabeth-ii-walking-stick/

https://people.com/royals/queen-elizabeth-uses-cane-first-time-17-years/

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/01/13/queen.hospital/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1184446/queen-elizabeth-ii-health-operation-knee-age-retirement-brexit-crisis

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Frank Augstein