The real reason the Queen will miss the Commonwealth Games revealed

The Queen will skip the Commonwealth Games next month, enlisting Prince Charles to attend the sporting event on her behalf instead

Why the Queen will miss the Commonwealth Games revealed
(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen will not attend the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month due to her ongoing mobility issues, according to royal sources. 

  • The Queen will not attend the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July, royal insiders have claimed. 
  • Prince Charles will represent the monarch instead, as she takes it easy at her holiday home in Scotland. 
  • in other royal news, 

The Queen will skip the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham next month, due to concerns over her ability to travel with her 'episodic mobility issues'. 

It's understood that Prince Charles will represent the 96-year-old monarch at the opening ceremony of the sporting competition on July 28, having already proven himself as a worthy understudy on multiple occasions at the Platinum Jubilee weekend. 

The future King is expected to be joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie Wessex, for different events throughout the summer tournaments. The disappointing news, which was broken by the Daily Mail, comes shortly after the Queen celebrated the 70th anniversary of her reign and reached the impressive milestone as Britain's longest-serving monarch. 

Prince Charles and the Queen

Prince Charles will represent the Queen at the Commonwealth Games 2022 

(Image credit: JONATHAN BRADY / Contributor / Getty Images)

As patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Her Majesty's cancellation is likely to come as a major blow to the event's participants and organizers. The withdrawal has been made all the more upsetting by the widespread expectations that the royal matriarch would be attending after the Queen penned a secret message to the Commonwealth in October to be read aloud at the 22nd launch of the annual games.

While Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the matter, royal sources have confirmed that Her Majesty will not appear at the event. The Queen will be staying at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the time of the 11-day-long competition, meaning it won't be easy for her to travel to Birmingham to support the players. Despite having access to a private helicopter and plane, the Head of State reportedly remains too fragile to tolerate the long journey. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.