The death of the Queen has come as a big shock to Britons, even if it was hardly a surprise at the age of 96, with the monarch looking increasingly frail.
Indeed, it has been noted that the oft-quoted ‘mobility issues’ that limited her involvement with the Platinum Jubilee increased markedly towards the end of her reign, despite her determination to continue her duties right up to her final days, when she appointed her 15th and final prime minister, Liz Truss.
In the Queen’s case, it has been noted that her hitherto good health deteriorated significantly and swiftly in the year after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, which may be common among many who have endured the end of a long and happy marriage. But loss of mobility can be a general consequence of ageing as well as arising from specific conditions.
Either way, it is important to be ready to adapt if your mobility reduces. Mobility bathrooms are definitely not just for those who live in castles and palaces. Yet, at the same time, it should encourage those who are starting to suffer mobility issues of their own that this can happen to anyone in later life.
As the Healthsite.com notes, there are numerous causes alongside simple old age. Among them are conditions like osteoporosis, something that may subsequently impact another royal who is now centre stage, the Queen Consort Camilla. A sufferer from the condition, she is the president of the Royal Osteoporsis Society.
Of course, we can all envy those who stay super-fit in later life, such as the 82-year-old Nick Gardner, a Scotsman who responded to his wife being diagnoses with both Alzheimer’s and Osteoporosis by raising £50,000 for charities linked to both diseases by climbing all 282 Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000 ft).
His remarkable fitness somewhat contrasts with Camilla’s situation, as she once suffered a fracture while hiking near Balmoral. It is a further reminder that mobility issues can affect everyone, even those in the highest places.