SENIOR Buckingham Palace aides have launched a major military-style planning operation aimed at getting the Queen to Prince Philip’s memorial service using a helicopter and privacy screens.
The frail 95-year-old monarch pulled out of the Commonwealth Day service last week amid fears for her “comfort” on the 60-mile round trip and having to sit in Westminster Abbey for more than an hour.
She was forced to watch the event on the telly at Windsor Castle.
But she is determined to attend for the Duke of Edinburgh’s thanksgiving on Tuesday week — he died last April at the age of 99 — and officials are exploring an incredible range of options to get her to the Abbey.
The Celeb Report on Sunday understands senior staff will arrange to fly Her Majesty by helicopter on a 15-minute trip from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace.
Although the Queen was seen on her feet at face-to-face engagements at Windsor last week, her aides are not happy with her walking around 100 yards from the Abbey entrance through the nave and choir to get to her seat.
Instead, they want to drive her the short distance from the Palace and seal off the entire Dean’s Yard to the west of the Abbey so they can park in private outside a side door.
Six-foot privacy screens or even a football-style tunnel could be erected to prevent photographers from capturing her as she leaves the car.
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The Queen has previously ruled out the option of using a wheelchair at this stage and remains determined to continue to walk for as long as possible.
But the option of assistance has been explored so she can get around The Cloisters, the south and east parts, in comfort and quickly.
Aides then believe Her Majesty can be delivered into the Abbey at Poets’ Corner and needs only a short walk to take her seat in The Sanctuary.
They are also exploring whether she can be seated before the audience arrives rather than last, as is tradition.
A source said: “Everything is being looked at to make sure the Queen makes it to Philip’s service. But the most important thing is to make sure she is comfortable.
“She must be there, and the best and most capable minds are hard at work doing their very best to make it work.
“The Queen couldn’t go to the Commonwealth ceremony because they couldn’t take her all that distance as it’s very uncomfortable in all that traffic.
“The best way is to fly by helicopter from Windsor to Buckingham Palace, then she only has a short drive to endure.
“A 15-minute flight is better than an hour in the back of a car. Some days she can walk around easily. Other days she cannot. It varies from day to day.
“The Queen has told her staff that she doesn’t want to use a wheelchair but they can give her assistance to get through the side entrance and into the Abbey to speed up the process.
“She can get out of the car in private with her walking stick and there are efforts being made to keep photographers away. But if she needs the wheelchair, then that must be done behind screens or once she is in the side entrance.
“It is then a considerable distance from the door round the private cloister to Poets’ Corner, where she can enter the abbey on her feet.
“Help and consideration from broadcasters will also be sought and required.
“This is the only way she can get into the Abbey. It needs to be as simple as possible and out of the public eye.”
The Palace cancelled her visit to the Abbey last Monday just three days before the event.
It is believed organisers for Philip’s memorial service want to get the Queen in at the side at Dean’s Yard.
Her Majesty last used this entrance in October when appearing with a walking stick for the first time at the 100th birthday of the Royal British Legion.
Royal biographer Penny Junor told The Celeb Report on Sunday: “Clearly she would like to be there but, on the other hand, she spent a lifetime with him. This is more a public ceremony for other people and not specifically for her.
“If she doesn’t make it, then it is not the end of the world. But I would imagine they will move Heaven and Earth to try to get her there.
“It might be that she can only be there by Zoom and on a big screen. Her love for husband is not in doubt.
“She laid him to rest a year ago and this is a ceremony for other people to say goodbye.”
Ingrid Seward, who is editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “Understandably, the Queen doesn’t want to be seen in a wheelchair.
“But as the Head of State and someone who wants to be seen and needs to be seen, she might concede to a wheelchair. The best way of doing that is to make sure there are no photographs taken.
“This could be a dress rehearsal for everything at the Platinum Jubilee. I think she wants to go as she knows Philip would want her to be there.
“She will be thinking that if it was her thanksgiving ceremony, he would move Heaven and Earth to make sure he was there.
“She would really hate to miss it. It is a headache for her staff as it would be difficult for anyone of her age who suffers mobility problems. It would be a painful process for her.”
Royals from across Europe are expected at the event after last April’s scaled-down funeral meant only 30 mourners were allowed inside.
The Swedish and Dutch royal families have confirmed they will attend.
But the Queen’s grandson Prince Harry, 37, has turned down the opportunity to be there.
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He is suing the Home Office because officials took away his security when he quit royal duty to live in California.
The Duke of Sussex has been blasted for failing to come to the Abbey memorial but choosing to attend his Invictus Games in the Netherlands just two weeks later.
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