Queen Elizabeth II steps out with a cane to walk into Westminster Abbey after knee surgery

At the Westminster Abbey service, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was spotted using a walking stick for the first time sparking speculations about her health. The major public event marked the centenary of the Royal British Legion, an armed forces charity, according to Associated Press. At the gathering, the 95-year-old monarch turned heads as she used the cane support to walk. Sources told the AP that she had lately undergone knee surgery that makes it difficult for her to walk. Princess Anne, Queen’s daughter was seen handing the mobility device to the monarch after the two stepped out of the limousine to attend the service on Tuesday.

 The queen smiled, as she appeared in a royal blue wool coat with a matching hat. She later headed to secure a seat at the church making her way into the abbey through the Poet’s Yard entrance for easier traversing. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the monarch’s health when approached. The event converged the military personnel families, veterans from UK armed services as well as from the Commonwealth countries, according to AP. It commemorated the Royal British Legion founded in 1921 to cater to the Royal servicemembers from World War I.

[Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Patron, and Britain's Princess Anne arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the Centenary of the Royal British Legion at Westminster Abbey, in London. Credit: AP]

UK monarch completed 70 years of reign 

Last week, the UK's Queen was reported to have met with Canadian troops who were guarding her Windsor Castle home. Sources told AP that the monarch had interaction with the on-duty soldiers of the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian House Artillery at the royal residence. Her meeting with the Canadian Army was part of the commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the founding of regular elements of the post-Confederation Canadian Army. This year, the UK monarch turned 95-year-old and celebrated her 70 years on the throne. Despite the pandemic, her birthday was celebrated with the first full staging of trooping the colour, and involved the parade of more than 1,400 soldiers, as per the British media reports. To mark her 70 long years on the throne, the monarch arranged a  thanksgiving service at the UK’s St. Paul’s Cathedral and hosted the “Platinum Party at the Palace,’’ featuring some of the “world’s biggest entertainment stars’’, without officially identifying them to the press.