The Queen's absences in public are over fears she replicates her sister six months before she died, it has been claimed.
She is now approaching her 96th birthday but she still performs a large amount of duties despite her age.
The monarch also speaks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson by phone and still signs may documents in her red box which she goes through daily.
But her choice not to attend last week's Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey showed a frailer side.
Buckingham Palace, insisted it was about her own comfort, but others suggested it was about preserving decorum.
But she has made it clear her being present at events and occasions must not come at any cost.
Royal aides are anxious for her not to replicate her sister Princess Margaret who was seen in public in a wheelchair, six months before passed away.
A palace source said: "It's a haunting image and not one the Queen remembers fondly,"
The celebration was in August 2001 where a photo for the Queen Mother's 101st birthday was organised.
But The Queen's sister Margaret was recovering after a series of strokes and had not been scheduled to appear.
William Tallon, the Queen Mother's page, then pushed Margaret in front of the waiting media in a wheelchair.
Margaret was known for glamorous good looks that had lasted well into middle age. The world had never seen her like this.
A source who remembers the occasion told the Daily Mail: "The optics were terrible. It was supposed to be about the Queen Mother but all anyone saw was a sadly declining Princess Margaret."
Palace courtiers were furious with Tallon for allowing her to be seen in public in a wheelchair.
The Queen is said to remember the occasion and the way it was handled and was unhappy at her sister being seen in that light.
She also believes she "must be seen to be believed".
Last month the Mirror told how Queen had postponed a Diplomatic Reception following advice from the Foreign Secretary, Buckingham Palace has said.
It is not clear why she made the decision and whether it has anything to do with the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
She had been expected to meet hundreds of members of the Diplomatic Corps at Windsor on Wednesday, March 2.
But the following Tuesday she cancelled virtual engagements that were planned as she was still suffering from mild-cold like symptoms due to Covid-19.
