Buckingham Palace Just Canceled A Famous Tradition Amid The Queen's Health Concerns

Events all across the United Kingdom have been disrupted in the wake of the latest alarming statement about Queen Elizabeth's health. According to BBC medical editor Fergus Walsh, Buckingham Palace went "further" than usual, sharing it was concerned for her health and that she was under "medical supervision," per the New York Post.

Among those disrupted events was the House of Commons session on Sept. 8, which Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle interrupted to update the house on the queen's health. According to Newsweek, a session has never been interrupted before for updates about Elizabeth's health.

BBC One also interrupted its programming, with plans to give updates on the developing situation until at least 6 p.m. GMT, per Newsweek. The New York Post also reports that BBC presenters are all wearing black, what we know to be part of the operation London Bridge protocol, the name for when the queen dies.

The changing of the queen's guard — a tradition normally observed every other day — was also canceled today, per the New York Post. Visitors to Buckingham Palace learned of the cancelation, Newsweek reports, from a sign placed in the palace courtyard that read: "No Guard Changing Ceremony Today."

Canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, the changing of the guard ceremony returned in August 2021, per Sky News. Ceremonies are a tourist favorite and can draw in massive crowds — up to 20,000 people — during the height of the summer tourist season, Sky News reports. This is the first time the ceremony has been canceled due to the queen's health.