Queen had examined optimistic for coronavirus final month in February.
London:
Queen Elizabeth II’s heralded return to main public duties has been placed on maintain, as royal officers introduced Friday she wouldn’t attend subsequent week’s Commonwealth Day service.
The 95-year-old monarch had been scheduled to attend the annual occasion at Westminster Abbey in central London on Monday afternoon, joined by some 1,500 company.
Her anticipated attendance had been seen as a return to work after a interval of fragile well being, throughout which she had a gentle bout of Covid.
However Buckingham Palace stated “after discussing the preparations with the Royal Family, the Queen has requested the Prince of Wales to symbolize Her Majesty” as an alternative.
Prince Charles, 73, is the queen’s eldest son and inheritor, who is anticipated to take over from her as head of the 54-nation Commonwealth when he turns into king.
The queen, who has hardly ever been seen in public since October final yr when she had an unscheduled in a single day keep in hospital, turns 96 subsequent month.
She examined optimistic for coronavirus on February 20, and developed what the palace stated had been “gentle” Covid signs, which pressured her to cancel a collection of digital audiences.
However she was properly sufficient final week to fulfill visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in particular person at her Windsor Citadel house west of London.
The palace gave no purpose for her pull-out of Monday’s occasion, including: “The Queen will proceed with different deliberate engagements, together with in-person audiences, within the week forward.”
The queen final month grew to become the primary British monarch in historical past to reign for 70 years. Public occasions for her Platinum Jubilee are deliberate for early June.
She is the queen and head of state in Britain and 14 different Commonwealth nations or realms around the globe, together with Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Her place as head of the Commonwealth grouping, which includes a couple of quarter of the world’s inhabitants, has made her an everlasting world determine.
– Key occasion –
Docs suggested Elizabeth to decelerate after her hospital keep, and she or he started cancelling a collection of high-profile occasions.
In November, she pulled out of internet hosting world leaders at a UN local weather change summit in Glasgow, and cancelled an look on the Remembrance Day parade as a result of a nasty again.
She has been seen utilizing a strolling stick for the primary time, and heard complaining about mobility points, even earlier than her Covid analysis.
Requested about her well being, Trudeau — in London for talks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — gave no indication of concern, saying she was “very ” in present occasions.
However her non-attendance at a key occasion within the royal calendar will inevitably trigger concern, with a forthcoming memorial service for her late husband, Prince Philip, as a result of happen on March 29.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who was married to the queen for 73 years, died aged 99 final April, simply weeks wanting his one centesimal birthday.
Nice efforts have been made to guard the queen from the coronavirus pandemic and she or he has spent a lot of the previous two years at Windsor, with few in-person engagements.
Even Philip’s funeral was held beneath strict coronavirus restrictions, with simply 30 mourners.
Monday’s occasion would have seen her alongside Charles, different senior royals, in addition to main British politicians, and senior overseas diplomats.
The final Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey was held in March 2020, as coronavirus circumstances spiralled and simply earlier than Britain locked down for the primary time.
It was additionally the final royal occasion attended by the queen’s grandson, Prince Harry, and his spouse, Meghan, earlier than their shock departure from the USA.
Her Platinum Jubilee yr has not received off to the most effective of begins.
Her second son Prince Andrew settled a US civil declare for sexual assault, and police have introduced a probe into one in every of Charles’ charities.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)