Queen Elizabeth Raises Concerns About Her Health After Stepping Out With a Cane

Queen Elizabeth has been photographed using a cane during her latest royal engagement, sparking concern about her health. On Tuesday, she headed to Westminster Abbey in London to attend a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion with her daughter, Princess Anne.

Dressed in royal blue, the monarch arrived with a simple black cane with a wooden handle, which she used as a mobility aid throughout her time there.

Princess Anne didn’t seem outwardly worried about the Queen’s health or mobility. However, seeing the 95-year-old monarch using a cane has prompted some fears among royal watchers. The last time the Queen was seen relying on a cane was back in 2003, while she was recovering from a knee operation.

Now there is speculation that the Queen may be suffering from some illness or that her mobility is being affected by her age. Reports from Hello! Magazine suggest that the Queen also took a shorter route into the Abbey than usual, choosing to enter from the Poet’s Yard entrance instead of the traditional Great West Door.

Meanwhile, the Mail Online reported that the 95-year-old chose to use the cane for “comfort” rather than any particular illness. Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the Queen’s use of the cane.

After almost 70 years on the throne, the general public is beginning to come to terms with the fact that she is getting on in life. First crowned in 1953, the Queen has weathered her fair share of ailments and illnesses over the years, but has continued to “keep calm and carry on.”

However, the death of her husband Prince Philip in April this year is said to have shaken the monarch — as well as her people. Philip’s passing was the first major royal death since 2002, when the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret both died. Now ruling without her greatest supporter, the Queen is believed to be preparing the next generation of royals for when she is gone.

A source recently shared that she has started working with Prince George to prepare the 8-year-old to be king one day.

“But at 95-years-old, with George, she doesn’t feel like she has the luxury of waiting for him to reach senior school,” the source said. “She’s taking a soft approach with him, reading him her old diaries from when she was a princess, showing him films of when she became Queen, encouraging him to follow in the footsteps of his father, who will one day be a great king, too.”

This article originally appeared on our sister site, Now to Love.