The Queen will not attend Commonwealth Day service on Monday
Buckingham Palace did not give a specific reason for her planned absence from the event. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have also cancelled their attendance because the duke has tested positive for COVID-19.
Friday 11 March 2022 20:46, UK
The Queen will not attend a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday and will instead be represented by Prince Charles, Buckingham Palace has said.
In a statement, the palace said she had made the decision after discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household.
It would have been her first major engagement since contracting COVID-19 in February.
The Prince of Wales was already scheduled to attend the service, along with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Alexandra.
The palace has not given a specific reason why the Queen will not be there.
But Sky News' royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said the decision to pull out of the event relates to "discussions that had been had about her comfort travelling to and attending the service".
She added: "But the decision is not related to any illness."
The Queen will, however, distribute her Commonwealth Day message as usual.
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have also cancelled their attendance because the duke has tested positive for COVID.
On 20 February, Buckingham Palace said the Queen tested positive for COVID-19, just weeks after Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall both contracted the virus.
At the time, Buckingham Palace said the 95-year-old was experiencing mild cold-like symptoms.
She undertook light duties at Windsor, including sending a congratulatory message to the Team GB women's curling team after they won gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics and a weekly telephone audience with the prime minister.
She held her first in-person engagement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle on Monday after contracting the virus.