The Queen is set to miss this year's Commonwealth Games. The 96-year-old monarch will instead be represented by her son, Prince Charles.
The opening ceremony will take place in Birmingham on July 28, with Charles expected to stand in his mother's place. Other members of the Royal Family are expected to attend events throughout the games.
As reported by The Express, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are all expected to appear. Kate and William are expected to visit on August 2.
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It's believed Her Majesty will miss the event due to concerns over her ability to travel with her episodic mobility issues. The Commonwealth Games is held every four years and involves athletes from different Commonwealth nations.
Prince Charles and Camilla will take the Queen's place on the first day of the event. In recent times, they have stepped in at different occasions such as during the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The Queen has pulled out of the Epsom Derby, the Jubilee thanksgiving service and Royal Ascot so far this year.
As patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Queen's cancellation is likely to come as a major blow to the event's participants and organisers. She is expected to stay at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the time of the 11-day-long competition.
In October last year, she also wrote and placed a secret message in a baton during the Queen's Baton Relay event. The note is expected to be revealed and read aloud at the launch of the games on July 22.
Taking to the Royal Family’s official Instagram page, the Queen shared a rare behind-the-scenes clip of her signing the message.
The caption read: "The Queen signing her message to the Commonwealth, which will be read at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year. Today, the message was placed inside The Queen’s Baton before it began its journey to Birmingham via 72 Commonwealth territories and nations, connecting communities over 90,000 miles."
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