Buckingham Palace has announced that the Queen will not be in attendance at the Commonwealth Service on Monday, March 14, after her doctors advised her to rest.
In a statement released by the Palace, the Queen has asked The Prince of Wales to represent her at the upcoming annual service for the Commonwealth of 54 nations which she governs.
“After discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household, the Queen has asked the Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday,” the statement read.
“The Queen will continue with other planned engagements, including in-person audiences, in the week ahead.”
The call comes as Queen Elizabeth II was diagnosed with Covid-19 three weeks prior on February 20, with the Palace revealing she was suffering from “mild cold-like symptoms”. The special service would have marked the Queen’s first in-person engagement since contracting the virus, despite reuniting with family at Frogmore Cottage less than two weeks ago.
According to 7 news, “the decision was not related to any illness but related to discussions about the comfort of getting the Queen to and from the service,” a consideration that has been regularly exercised by the Palace of recent. The Queen recently announced her permanent relocation to Windsor Castle, leaving Buckingham Palace, which was her main residence, for the last time.
Despite the Queen’s most recent cancellation, she is expected to attend an upcoming in-person thanksgiving service in memory of her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9, 2021, at age 99. The service will take place at Westminster Abbey in London.
According to a spokesperson for Prince Harry, the Prince will not be attending the special service for Prince Philip, as he withstands an ongoing court battle against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over alleged security breaches, and another against the Home Office after a High Court decision prevented him from paying UK police for personal protection.
Concerns of the Queen’s health have been circulating for some time after she was ordered to rest by doctors last year for an unconfirmed illness. She has since suffered with mobility issues which has seen her take up regular use of a walking cane.
The Queen had recently commemorated 70 years on the throne where she was soon after forced to postpone a number of engagements as she recovered from Covid-19. She undertook a number of virtual engagements while in isolation. Official Platinum Jubilee celebrations are set to take place in June.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been in the royal ‘bad books’ for some time now after the couple moved to Los Angeles in 2020, where they proceeded to launch a number of attacks on the royal family.