News that Buckingham Palace had summoned royal household staff for an emergency meeting prompted a flurry of speculation overnight about the health of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Royal sources said there was “no cause for alarm” about the couple’s health but gave no further indication as to the reason for the meeting. They said such all-staff meetings did occur occasionally.
The BBC reported that the meeting was being held at 10am on Thursday.
The Sun briefly published on its website – and then swiftly removed – an article about the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, titled “Prince Philip dead at 95, how did the Duke of Edinburgh die, etc etc”.
The Daily Mail reported shortly after midnight that staff from the Queen’s residences across the UK had been ordered to London by senior palace aides for the emergency meeting on Thursday morning.
An unnamed source told the paper: “Although meetings involving the entire royal household are occasionally called, the way this has been done at the 11th hour is highly unusual and suggests that there is something major to be disseminated.”
The Queen, the world’s longest-reigning living monarch, celebrated her 91st birthday last month. Philip turns 96 next month.
The Queen met Theresa May on Wednesday to formally agree to the dissolution of parliament before June’s election, while Philip opened a new stand at Lord’s cricket ground in central London.
The Mail reported that the royal staff would be addressed by the lord chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, and the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt.
