Queen's shocking decision to break tradition sparks fears for her health

The Queen has broken an old royal tradition, sparking more fears for her health.

Instead of appointing Britain's new prime minister at Buckingham Palace in London, the 96-year-old monarch will meet outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor on September 6 at her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland.

The Queen is unable to return to London to appoint the prime minister due to her ongoing mobility issues.

She will have an audience with Britain's new leader — either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former finance minister Rishi Sunak — shortly after meeting with Johnson, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

The decision to have the audiences at Balmoral was taken to provide certainty for the new prime minister's diary and avoid having to make any last-minute changes were the Queen to experience mobility issues, a palace source said.

Britain's monarch, as head of state, traditionally appoints the new prime minister following an audience at Buckingham Palace, part of the drama of the day, when television cameras and helicopters follow official cars pulling into the palace grounds.

Every British leader has been appointed at Buckingham Palace since the reign of Queen Victoria except on one occasion, the BBC said, citing constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor.

The Queen's health has been scrutinised in recent times, with Her Majesty having to pull out of a number of events.

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While she did appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Platinum Jubilee on June 2, she did not attend the Platinum Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving the following day due to "discomfort" the celebrations had already caused.

It came after she was seen using a walking stick for the first time at a major engagement in October 2021.

She also pulled out of a rumoured appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show with little notice in May.

The event is believed to be one of the monarch’s favourites, and her missed appearance was likely due to her declining health and mobility issues.

According to The Telegraph, the Queen decided to spend time with her horses away from the public eye, supposedly pulling out from attending at the last minute.

The Queen's job description has also been rewritten by Buckingham Palace to scale back the duties that she "must fulfil" following her recent mobility issues.

Her Majesty's "official" jobs were edited for the first time in at least a decade in the palace's annual Sovereign Grant report.

With AAP

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