Queen decides not to descend steep stairs during ceremony

Her aides have always insisted she is not slowing down, but the Queen made an unexpected change to a major public appearance today after deciding a steep flight of steps would be too much for her.

Her Majesty had been due to take part in an ancient installation ceremony for knights of the Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey, an event she only attends every eight years.

Dressed in a cumbersome robe with a train, worn over an evening dress, the Queen, who is 88, would have needed to descend a short flight of steps to approach the altar in the Abbey's The Lady Chapel of King Henry VII, then make her way back up the steps to her stall.

But after a dress rehearsal on Thursday, which the Queen did not attend, aides decided the monarch should not go ahead with that part of the ceremony. The Prince of Wales will deputise for her instead.

Buckingham Palace announced two years ago that the Queen was giving up long-haul travel as a concession to her age, but otherwise the Palace has repeatedly insisted the Queen is not scaling back her workload.

A royal source said: "It is purely for the Queen's comfort. After the rehearsal yesterday a decision was taken by the Royal Household and the Queen that she would not carry out that particular ceremony.

"She will still go up the steps to get to her stall and descend them at the end of the service, but this will mean she only has to do that once."

The source added: "The ceremony involves a lot of walking and the Queen will still play a very active part, but the steps involved are almost vertical and it was just thought that wearing all the regalia she should not take part in that particular moment."

Westminster Abbey had installed a remote camera in the Lady Chapel to capture the central part of the service, known as the offering, for the first time.

Buckingham Palace had sent the media a photograph of a painting of George V carrying out the same ceremony so that the two could be compared side by side.

But just 75 minutes before the start of the service, Palace staff told the media the Queen would remain in her stall for that part of the service.

The Order of the Bath, created by George I in 1725, is the fourth most senior order of chivalry, comprising knights, dames and companions of the Bath.

Its name derives from the ancient tradition of bathing knights to signify purification before knighthoods were bestowed.

The Order's home is the Lady Chapel at the Abbey, where knights and dames have their own personal stall with their heraldic arms above it. Because there are a fewer stalls than there are members, knights and dames can wait decades before one becomes vacant.

As part of today's service, 12 knights are being installed in seats vacated by members who have died since the last service four years ago. Those being installed include Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Field Marshal The Lord Inge and Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon.

The offering - the part of the ceremony the Queen decided not to perform - involves the sovereign, as head of the Order, offering two gold and two silver coins to the Dean of the Abbey to represent the surrendering of worldly treasure and a knight's duty to provide for the maintenance of the Church.

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