Queen has successful eye surgery to remove cataract

The 92-year-old monarch underwent the successful procedure last month.

She had been seen wearing sunglasses in recent weeks at a number of events, including the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Buckingham Palace garden parties.

The Queen was treated as a day patient at the private King Edward VII’s hospital in London.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Queen successfully underwent a short planned procedure to treat a cataract last month.”

It was business as usual for the head of state, who did not cancel or postpone any engagements.

Cataracts are when the lens – a small transparent disc inside the eye – develops cloudy patches.

Over time these patches usually become bigger causing blurry, misty vision and eventually blindness, if left untreated. The Queen is known for her robust health. Her son the Duke of York once described her as being incredibly fit for her age. The monarch still rides her Fell ponies at Windsor and drives, mainly around her private estates. She has called time on her overseas travels, leaving long-haul destinations to the younger members of her family.

But she still has a busy diary of events and last year carried out 296 engagements.

The Prince of Wales led the nation in November in honouring the country’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.

It was the first time the Queen, as head of state, had watched the ceremony from a nearby balcony. The moment was seen as a sign of the royal family in transition and an acknowledgement of her age.

Just before Christmas 2016, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh both fell ill with heavy colds, forcing them to delay their trip to Sandringham by a day.