(NewsNation) — Queen Elizabeth II is under medical supervision as doctors are “concerned” for the royal’s health, Buckingham Palace said Thursday.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” a palace spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with customary policy.
The palace also said the queen is “comfortable” and remains at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she has spent the summer.
The announcement comes a day after the 96-year-old monarch canceled a meeting of her Privy Council and was told to rest. The queen met with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, along with his wife, Camilla, and sister, Princess Anne, are already with the queen at Balmoral Castle. Prince William, Charles’ eldest son, is also en route to Balmoral, as is his brother, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” Truss said on Twitter.
“My thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
The queen marked seven decades on the throne this year. She has increasingly handed over duties to Prince Charles and other members of the royal family in recent months as she struggled to get around.
As news of the Queen’s condition spread, crowds of people have begun to gather outside London’s Buckingham Palace.
More than 100 people, many holding umbrellas amid sometimes heavy downpours, have congregated on stone steps outside the royal residence, and dozens more are standing beside the gates, with many people peering through them.
President Joe Biden also conveyed to Prime Minister Truss that he was following reports about the Queen’s health and that he and the first lady are keeping the Queen and her family in their thoughts.
Britain’s Prince William drives a car carrying the Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex into Balmoral in Scotland, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has been placed under medical supervision because doctors are “concerned for Her Majesty’s health.” Members of the royal family traveled to Scotland to be with the 96-year-old monarch. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP) 
Tourists stand in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has been placed under medical supervision because doctors are “concerned for Her Majesty’s health.” Members of the royal family traveled to Scotland to be with the 96-year-old monarch. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) 
FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II waits in the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience at Balmoral, in Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, where Truss was invited to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II is under medical supervision as doctors are “concerned for Her Majesty’s health.” The announcement comes a day after the 96-year-old monarch canceled a meeting of her Privy Council and was told to rest.(Jane Barlow/Pool Photo via AP, File) 
FILE – Queen Elizabeth II speaks during an audience at Windsor Castle where she met the incoming and outgoing Defence Service Secretaries, Wednesday Feb. 16, 2022. (Steve Parsons, Pool via AP, File) 
FILE – Liz Truss arrives at Conservative Central Office in Westminster after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest in London, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Liz Truss will become Britain’s new Prime Minister after an audience with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday Sept. 6. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) 
FILE – Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcony during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London, Sunday, June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II will skip the Braemar Gathering, a popular Highland Games event, as she struggles with issues getting around. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File) 
FILE – Queen Elizabeth II attends an armed forces act of loyalty parade in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, on June 28, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II will remain in Scotland, where she is taking her summer break, to receive Britain’s outgoing Prime Minster Boris Johnson and his successor next week, Buckingham Palace officials said Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. (Jane Barlow/Pool via AP) 
FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II welcomes newly elected leader of the Conservative party Boris Johnson during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, Wednesday July 24, 2019 where she invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government. British media say Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign on Thursday, July 7 2022, ending an unprecedented political crisis over his future. (Victoria Jones/Pool via AP, File) 
From left, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge stand on the balcony, at the end of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant held outside Buckingham Palace, in London, Sunday June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The pageant will be a carnival procession up The Mall featuring giant puppets and celebrities that will depict key moments from Queen Elizabeth II’s seven decades on the throne. (Roland Hoskins/Pool Photo via AP) 
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Louis stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, Thursday June 2, 2022, on the first of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service. (Alastair Grant/Pool Photo via AP) 
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she attends at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Windsor, England, Friday May 13, 2022. The Queen’s appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show came a few days after she delegated the opening of Parliament to Prince Charles. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) 
FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smiles while receiving the President of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis and his wife Paola Cassis during an audience at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Thursday, April 28, 2022. Britain is getting ready for a party featuring mounted troops, solemn prayers — and a pack of dancing mechanical corgis. The nation will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne this week with four days of pomp and pageantry in central London. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP, File)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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