Queen Elizabeth May Not Appear on Buckingham Palace Balcony at Jubilee, Sources Say

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Queen’s balcony appearance “by no means guaranteed”

Queen Elizabeth may not appear on Buckingham Palace’s balcony at the culmination of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. A source described as “well placed” told the Mail on Sunday that her presence was “by no means guaranteed,” because of her mobility. Instead, aides are plotting a “Plan B.”

“It could still happen but it is by no means guaranteed that we will see the Queen on the balcony during the Jubilee,” the source said, in what appears to be a clear sign that expectations are being managed down well ahead of the event.

Prince Harry Is ‘Making Sure’ Queen Elizabeth ‘Is Protected’‘SHE’S ON GREAT FORM’

Tim Teeman, Martha Mercer

Should the queen not appear, the Mail says, it may mean the other members of the royal family don’t appear on the balcony either, which would at least have the silver lining of solving the vexed question of who will or won’t make the cut. Princes Andrew and Edward were said to have been mightily miffed at being excluded last time around, at the 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

It is still unknown if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend this year’s celebrations—at one point it seemed a likely possibility; then Harry told the Today show’s Hoda Kotb that there were “lots of things with security issues and everything else.” His deflection when asked if he missed Prince Charles and Prince William indicated continued frayed royal bonds. And there are the ongoing efforts by Prince Andrew to push himself center stage.

The family appears on the palace balcony on major occasions and anniversaries, like Trooping the Color, or marking the centenary of the Britain’s royal air force. Prince Charles kissed Princess Diana on the balcony when they married in July 1981, and Prince Andrew kissed Sarah Ferguson on the balcony after their marriage five years later.

However the Mail says, “Courtiers fear that the tradition may come to an end in June.”

Meghan and Harry ‘loving’ Jubilee speculation

Are Harry and Meghan lapping up the ongoing whispers about their intention (or not) to attend the Platinum Jubilee? Richard Eden, the diary editor at the Daily Mail, told MailPlus’ Palace Confidential they are. “I really get the impression that Harry and Meghan are loving all the speculation about whether they’ll come for the Jubilee or not,” Eden said. “What should be the wonderful celebrations of the Queen’s amazing long reign, instead it’s sort of become this saga or will-they-won’t-they-come?”

The royals and their ghosts

Forget all the Jubilee whispers and Harry and Meghan dish. The Sun has the coolest royal story of the week, bringing together a miscellany of alleged royal encounters with ghosts. In one instance, “A young Charles and a footman were also said to have once fled in terror from the library after a deathly cold descended and they felt someone was behind them,” we learn. Our favorite encounter? Princess Margaret, who is said to to have seen the ghost of Elizabeth I in Windsor Castle. George III has been spotted “looking longingly” out of a room at Buckingham Palace where he was confined during periods of madness.

Most worryingly, “Heavy breathing is often said to come from an empty second-floor bedroom, with spooked servants refusing to go in.” Given the royals’ history of bonking and adultery, is everyone absolutely sure this is a ghost?

Ice cold

In the run up to the Jubilee, The Telegraph is running extracts from a book about the Duke of Kent (the queen’s first cousin) by royal historian Hugo Vickers. In one section of A Royal Life, another cousin of the queen, Hans Veit Toerring, describes being whisked out of his Bavarian boarding school to attend the great event. His father had to write the headmaster at his school asking for a week’s leave and gave as the excuse for his son’s absence, “Coronation of a relative.”

The return of two Charlenes

Relief greeted the return of Princess Charlene of Monaco to public life this week, who made her first public royal appearance in over a year Saturday, after a miserable few months marked by constant speculation about her physical health, and the health of her marriage.

Although Charlene didn’t look to be exactly fizzing with joy as she attended a motor sport event in Monaco with Prince Albert and their two children, she was at least there, sporting tightly cropped white hair and looking pretty healthy.

Charlene’s appearance represents a hugely positive step for the 44-year-old, who spent six months in South Africa suffering complications from surgery last year and then, on her return, entered a Swiss rehab suffering from exhaustion.

The Royalist would also like to express its ABSOLUTE JOY that another Charlene (Kylie Minogue) will be returning for the series finale of Australian soap Neighbours alongside Jason Donovan as husband Scott—both are total soap royalty. As The Daily Beast has previously lamented, the show is being axed after 37 years, and we are devastated. But this at least ensures it has a properly iconic send-off.

York wants shot of Andrew

More bad news for Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who was, as Sky news reported, stripped by councilors in the city of York—from whence his royal title derives—of the freedom of the city. Removing the honor means nothing, of course, but it sends a powerful message: the people of York don’t want to be associated with a suspected sexual predator, even one who, like Andrew, has not been found guilty of any crime, although he did make a multi-million dollar settlement with Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who alleged Andrew sexually abused her.

The move raises questions about if or when the Duke of York title will ultimately be removed for the disgraced prince (some insiders speculate it will happen in the early days of the reign of King Charles, as part of an opening shock and awe campaign.) York councilor Darryl Smalley spoke for many in the city when he said the next logical step “would be for Prince Andrew to do the right thing and relinquish his title of Duke of York.”

Why does such a gesture on Andrew’s part seem super unlikely? One reason is that his Bentley, which he used to attend the private christening of his grand-daughter, Sienna, Princess Beatrice’s baby daughter, still bears the personalized number plate DOY.

Prince Charles joke alert!

Prince Charles is patron of the Queen’s Green Canopy, a jubilee tree-planting initiative, and in that role has recorded a new video on the subject beneath a spreading sycamore at Dumfries House.

It’s worth watching for the moment, in the first 30 seconds, where describes the initiative, with a little smile, as a “treebilee.”

It’s adorably grandpa stuff, and the Royalist is confident he is writing his own jokes.

This week in royal history

Happy birthday Princess Charlotte. Kate and William’s daughter turns 7 tomorrow, Monday, and is already the coolest young royal, with her gallery of mischievous expressions well captured by the media.

Unanswered questions

The royal family’s appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony is now looking ever more mysterious and unfixed. Will the queen be well enough to appear? Are Harry and Meghan in or out?