The Queen Just Sent A Royal Stand-In For Another Major Event

Queen Elizabeth takes her royal duties very seriously, obviously, which is why you know when she has to miss an event it's due to a serious reason. And it seems like the queen has been missing more events than usual lately due to some ongoing health issues. She may be the Queen of the United Kingdom, but she's still human. And, like all humans, Queen Elizabeth is getting older.

On Tuesday, the official royal family Twitter account notified the public that Elizabeth would be sending yet another royal stand-in to take her place at a major event. This comes just a few days after the 95-year-old monarch had to miss a remembrance service due to a sprained back, according to The New York Times. The queen also had to miss the COP26 conference earlier in the month due to her health, according to Town & Country, where she would have met with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Now, she's sending a royal replacement to attend the 11th Session of the General Synod, which sounds... official.

The official The Royal Family Twitter account posted on Tuesday that the Earl of Wessex — Prince Edward — would be attending the 11th session of the General Synod, "the national assembly of [The Church of England], on behalf of The Queen." The tweet further helpfully explained, "As the legislative body of The Church of England, any legislative measures passed there are formally confirmed by The Queen."

So yeah, it seems like a pretty big deal, and a pretty big deal for Queen Elizabeth to miss it. He's definitely not the most well-known of Elizabeth's descendants, but Edward has been a lot more visible lately as he has taken a more active role in royal duties, especially since Prince Harry stepped down and moved to the United States. In an interview with CNN, Prince Edward said the rift was very sad, "but that's families for you." Indeed. The queen's youngest son also told the outlet that he's just trying to be there for his mom during a difficult time, especially following the death of her husband, Prince Philip. "Trying to be there as a friendly ear at times is, absolutely, is really important," he said.