The Last Leg host Adam Hills has encouraged Queen Elizabeth II to use a wheelchair following reports that she doesn’t want to be seen in public using one, saying that it could help ‘reduce the stigma’.
This week, it was claimed that the Queen, who is 95 years old and this year marks her Platinum Jubilee, has been cancelling engagements because she does not want people to see her using a wheelchair.
Christopher Biggins, a close friend of the royal family, told GB News, ‘It’s a real worry and I hope she is able to make her anniversary celebrations because it is not that far off,’ before adding: ‘She doesn’t want to be seen because she’s very proud. She has been like this for the whole of her life.’
On the latest episode of The Last Leg, Adam, who was born without a right foot and wears a prosthesis, addressed the report, saying that wheelchair use should be ‘celebrated’.
‘If any show knows that wheelchairs are to be celebrated, it’s ours. We can now book the Queen for our show, she qualifies,’ he said light-heartedly.
The comedian continued, explaining how his grandfather, who’s 103 years old, won’t wear a hearing aid ‘because he thinks it makes him look old’, so he can understand the monarch’s apparent decision.
Nonetheless, he outlined how much of a positive impact the Queen using a wheelchair in public could have on a bigger scale.
‘It could have so many positives for disabled people. It would reduce the stigma around wheelchairs, it would mean that accessibility becomes a much higher priority,’ he said.
‘Plus, I reckon fewer able-bodied people would use a disabled toilet if there was a chance they’d come out and find the Queen waiting outside.’
Addressing the camera, the host stated: ‘If you’re watching, it’s ok to be in a wheelchair. It’s basically a throne with wheels.’
He then revealed that they had in fact created a gold wheelchair throne for the Queen, complete with a waving glove attached and balloon corgis.
One viewer who agreed with Adam’s point of view tweeted: ‘Imagine the scramble to provide wheelchair access to places if the Queen was in a wheelchair and booked a visit. Get in the chair, over book visits, then don’t show up Liz. Create so much more disabled access!!’
On This Morning, Gyles Brandreth recalled how the Queen’s late sister, Princess Margaret, was seen in a wheelchair towards the end of her life, saying it ‘felt a little bit undignified’, a comment that sparked a backlash on social media.
‘The Duke of Edinburgh was very proud of his excellent posture, he exercised every day right until the very end and the Queen likes that idea. So, she doesn’t want to be photographed in a wheelchair,’ Gyles said.
Metro.co.uk contacted Buckingham Palace for comment following the initial report.
The Last Leg is available to watch on All 4.
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