The Queen has cancelled an appearance at Monday’s annual Commonwealth Day service after suffering problems with her mobility.
The 95-year-old monarch is understood to be experiencing increasing discomfort when it comes to getting about.
Her Majesty will instead be represented by the Prince of Wales, Buckingham Palace said.
The head of state, who has recently recovered from a bout of Covid, hoped to join Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Commonwealth event. The decision is not linked to any illness, but is related to the Queen’s comfort of getting to and from the service.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen has asked the Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey.”
The service would have been the Queen’s first major public appearance since reaching her Platinum Jubilee milestone, and the first Commonwealth Day service held in full since 2020.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said she believed the Queen would be “determined” to make the Thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey dedicated to her late husband Prince Philip on March 29.
Ms Seward said: “It would have been a huge wrench to miss the Commonwealth Day service but she is facing a dilemma these days where she must choose her engagements wisely. She will be very determined to make the Duke of Edinburgh’s Thanksgiving service later this month, which will be of incredible importance to her considering his funeral was so scaled back.
“Her Majesty, I believe, is very like her mother, who was reluctant to use a wheelchair, so in her advancing years it’s about projecting herself as much as possible for the big occasions”
The Queen tested positive for Covid on February 20 and Buckingham Palace said at the time she was experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms”.
Last month, she acknowledged her frail condition for the first time during a royal engagement at Windsor Castle.
The Queen told visiting military officials: “As you can see, I can’t move.”
She last met a group of people in public on February 5.
