The royal family are known to attend a wide variety of events both in and outside of the UK throughout the year. They show up at charity events, inaugurations, foreign head of state visits and their own official celebrations all the time.
But, a recent statement from the family announced a sudden halt on all of their public appearances until further notice, according to People. Is something big going on? Why the sudden change?
Well, there’s a pretty good reason for the abrupt stop …
Surprise General Election
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a surprise general election on May 22nd. This prompted the royal family to immediately postpone all of their public engagements for the time being. The royals do this in an effort to avoid influencing politics in the nation.
This is also the first general election held in the last five years within the UK, according to MSN. The royal family‘s official statement on the matter was reported by MSN as:
“Following the Prime Minister’s statement this afternoon calling a general election, the royal family will —in accordance with normal procedure — postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign…Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result.”
The surprise of the general election initially caused both Charles and William to abruptly cancel their own engagements for that same day, according to People.
Kate Middleton Said ‘It Was Thought That My Condition Was Non-Cancerous’
Although some may have assumed the royal family’s recent spate of health issues led to this sudden announcement, it was really just the general election event that forced them to slow down.
Charles and Kate have both been subjected to cancer treatment following initial diagnoses, according to People.
MSN reported that Kate had the following to say about her cancer treatment:
“It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful … My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment. This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
Despite these challenges, the family’s main motivator for canceling certain public engagements remains the election. But, it’s not the end of the world or the end of the family. They’re still planning on seeing some important events through.
Not All Royal Family Events Canceled
Trooping the Colour, the king’s birthday parade, is still proceeding as normal, as reported by the BBC. Charles has also attended awards events like The King’s Foundation’s Awards ceremony at St. James’s palace since the initial postponement.
So far, the royal family has remained pretty active during this election period and they’re likely to continue making public appearances. According to Express, events like the Order of the Garter, Holyrood Week and Royal Ascot were given the go ahead to take place as planned and without any sudden delays.
