The Queen is in great pain but insists she will open Parliament

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The Queen's agonising back pain - 'she's going through murder' said a Palace source yesterday - is being caused by chronic sciatica.

And the excruciating condition is putting forthcoming key engagements in the 80-year-old Monarch's diary in jeopardy.

She is determined to attend the State Opening of Parliament on November 15, but there is a question mark over laying the traditional wreath at the Cenotaph Remembrance Day Service in London next Sunday.

Her diary is being reviewed on a day-by-day basis, said a well-placed Palace source.

Sciatica is an agonising condition affecting thousands. The sciatic nerve, from the base of the back and down the leg, is put under pressure by the spine, bringing crippling lower-back pain and numbness of the legs. It can also indicate arthritis of the spine.

But, despite speculation that the Queen could miss the Opening of Parliament, The Mail on Sunday has learned, that she has 'been prepared to clear the decks of all engagements' to be fit for the arduous, all-morning ceremony.

A senior Whitehall source said: "We understand that whatever else the Queen has to forgo she is committed to addressing both Houses."

And a Palace source said: "She has missed the State Opening only twice in 53 years as Monarch: when she was pregnant with Andrew and then with Edward. She has no intention of making this a third." The source added: "We're monitoring her diary day by day'.

This leaves a doubt as to whether she will be at the Cenotaph. The ceremony at Whitehall, which can last over an hour, is the most significant of the Queen's six public engagements in the lead-up to the Opening of Parliament.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the Royal British Legion said: "We have not been told of a problem. We're very much hoping she will be there."

According to a Palace source: "One gauge as to whether an engagement is advisable is whether it involves standing for any long period of time."

Last week, Princess Anne stood in for the Queen at an investiture ceremony where one of those receiving honours was Rolf Harris, for whom the Queen sat for her 80th birthday portrait in June.

But speculation that in lieu of the Queen, the State Opening of Parliament might be conducted by Prince Charles with Camilla by his side, was dismissed last night.

A Palace spokeswoman said the Queen would be there and that, anyway, in her absence on the two previous occasions her speech was read by the Lord Chancellor.

The Palace said the Queen's back problem was 'a private medical matter' but it is understood she has suffered from sciatica since a 2003 operation on damaged cartilage in a knee.

One close source said the hardworking Queen's stoic demeanour is masking severe pain. Her back is out of alignment. She is going through murder,' said the source.

"She's very miserable. She thinks she can do something and then she gets this shooting pain. She has to rest a lot. It's a problem that is being made worse by cold weather."

According to specialist Alan Gardner: "Sciatica in older people is often due to a bit of arthritis in the spine. They have limited walking distance. After 30 or 40 yards, the leg starts to seize up.

The consultant spinal orthopaedic surgeon added: "There are a variety of treatments. Only about five per cent of people have surgery."

 

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