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Queen Elizabeth has canceled another in-person appearance planned for Monday, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday.
“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,” said the statement, which was shared with HuffPost.
“The Queen will continue with other planned engagements, including in person Audiences, in the week ahead,” the statement said, adding that Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will attend the service, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The palace also said that “the Queen’s Commonwealth Day message will be distributed in the usual way.”
The news that the 95-year-old sovereign was sending the Prince of Wales in her place for a planned, in-person engagement comes amid continued updates about the queen’s health, as she tested positive for COVID-19 just last month.
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However, Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah reported Friday just after Buckingham Palace’s statement that “it is understood the Queen regrets not being there on Monday, but her decision does not relate to any illness, and was based on discussions around her comfort in travelling and attending the service.”
The monarch canceled virtual and in-person appearances last month as she dealt with her diagnosis, which came just days after Charles and Camilla had both tested positive for the coronavirus.
During the queen’s absence, the U.S. blog Hollywood Unlocked released a false, “exclusive” claim that Queen Elizabeth had died.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the rumor, but issued a statement the following day saying that the queen had held her weekly telephone audience with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Many were relieved when the queen resumed virtual appearances and later held her first in-person engagement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday at Windsor Castle.
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The queen, who turns 96 next month and recently marked an astonishing 70 years on the throne, hoped to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for her late husband, Prince Philip, at the end of this month. The palace did not respond to a question about the monarch’s chances of attending the service.
Separately on Friday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to HuffPost that Prince Harry would not be attending the service for his grandfather. The spokesperson said that Harry hopes to visit his grandmother as soon as possible.
Harry is involved in a judicial review with the British government to restore his police protection for when he visits Britain, where he still maintains a residence.
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