(NewsNation) —While this weekend is supposed to be a time the UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year — a commemoration of her unprecedented 70 years on the throne — the 96-year-old queen skipped Friday morning’s church service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s events.
She did, however, watch the event unfold on television, smiling and waving to throngs of supporters from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon as Prince Charles stands in for her.
But now she reportedly won’t be attending the Epson Derby — her favorite horse race.
The 96-year-old monarch has had difficulty moving around in recent months, and given that it’s only the second of four days of festivities, the Queen’s declining health has become an unspoken undercurrent.
“Bless her, though she does need her rest. It was a big day yesterday, probably too much port and couldn’t make it today,” said Brits addressing her absence with humor.
While hard to imagine Buckingham Palace without the beloved queen, the inevitable question is whether Britain should continue to have a monarchy in the future, with only 22 percent saying the country should move to an elected head of state instead.