LONDON // There is no cause for alarm about the welfare of Queen Elizabeth II or her husband Prince Philip after all senior royal staff were summoned to a meeting at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Television crews descended on the palace at dawn after a newspaper report of a “highly unusual” staff meeting prompted speculation of an imminent royal announcement.
“There’s no cause for alarm,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
While such meetings are rare, they are not unprecedented and can happen several times a year.
The Daily Mail report sparked global speculation about the health of the 91-year-old queen and her husband Prince Philip, who turns 96 in June.
Buckingham Palace had no comment on the Mail report but the source said such all-staff meetings did occur occasionally.
The Queen and Prince Philip still regularly carry out official duties although they have cut back on their workload in recent years.
Queen Elizabeth met prime minister Theresa May on Wednesday to formally agree to the dissolution of parliament ahead of June’s election while Philip opened a new stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground in central London.
* Reuters
