The Queen will attend a memorial service today for her beloved husband Prince Philip, it has been confirmed.
Her Majesty will join other members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who have recently returned from their Caribbean tour, and Prince George, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday.
Some of the Queen and Philip's other great-grandchildren are also going to attend including Peter Phillips' daughters Savannah and Isla and Zara and Mike Tindall's daughter Mia.
In recent weeks the Queen has been forced to pull out of several high profile events, including Commonwealth Day, amid reports that the "frail" Queen has been using a wheelchair.
Pictures released last week show her standing with a walking stick as she viewed a display of hand-decorated teapots and antique enamelled trinket boxes brought to her Windsor Castle home for her to see.
The event was the Queen's first official face-to-face engagement with a number of people for more than seven weeks since her Platinum Jubilee reception at Sandringham House.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said this morning: “The Queen is currently intending to attend the service this morning.”
While plans could change before the start of the service at 11.30am, preparations will now be in full swing for the monarch’s appearance.
Special arrangements have been put in place for the Queen’s comfort, with the service limited to 40 minutes and the monarch sitting in one of the Canada chairs but with an additional cushion.
The difficulty for the Queen was understood to be whether the monarch would be able to walk to her seat.
BBC cameras are likely to avoid filming the Queen as she makes her way through the back of the Abbey via Poets’ Corner – a shorter route to place in the Lantern.
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Traditionally, the Queen used to arrive at the Great West Door, and walk the length of the church, through the Nave and the Quire.
But, in October, when she attended the Royal British Legion centenary service using a walking stick, she arrived at Poets’ Yard, entering via Poet’ Corner.
The Queen contracted Covid in February and also spent more than three months from October under doctors' orders to only conduct light duties.
She has already this month missed the Commonwealth Day service, with the decision to cancel her appearance understood to be related to her comfort in travelling the 26-mile journey from Windsor Castle to London.
Last week it was reported that six-foot privacy screens, a helicopter and a football tunnel could all be used in a military-style operation to get the Queen to the memorial while protecting her privacy.
Sources told the Sun how senior palace aides had been looking at having the Queen flown from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace by helicopter.
The trip would have take just 15 minutes by chopper, and staff would then have driven the monarch the short distance from the Palace to the Abbey, sealing off the entirety of Dean's Yard to prevent anyone getting near before parking the car by a side door.
Other options including six-foot privacy screens or a football-style tunnel were also reportedly looked at, to block photographers from trying to capture a shot of the Queen exiting the car.
It comes after it was reported that royal aides are anxious for the Queen 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."
