The Queen will not attend a Commonwealth 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 having 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.

According to Sky News’ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills, the decision to pull out of the event relates to “discussions that had been had about her comfort travelling to and attending the service.

“But the decision is not related to any illness,” Mills wrote on Twitter.

International Women’s Day: Queen praised by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for ‘inspiring a nation’

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: How you can get tickets to the Buckingham Palace concert

The rise of Queen Camilla

She will, however, distribute her Commonwealth Day message as usual.

I understand the decision relates to discussions that had been had about her comfort travelling to and attending the service. But the decision is not related to any illness. Understandably the Queen will regret not being there when you consider her commitment to the Commonwealth https://t.co/VXly7QObZM

Read more: Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: More celebrations revealed as events added to interactive map

The Queen’s health and how doctors will look to treat Her Majesty after coronavirus diagnosis

Prince Harry will not return to the UK later this month for Prince Philip’s memorial service​​​​​​​

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have cancelled their attendance because the duke has tested positive for COVID.

In October 2021, the Queen was pictured using a walking stick in public for the first time.

She was first seen using the aid at a Westminster Abbey service in London and again during the opening of the Welsh parliament.

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 cancelled several virtual engagements but hosted His Excellency Carles Jordana Madero and His Excellency Mr Kendella Younous Hamiti virtual on 1 March.

She held her first in-person engagement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle.

Related posts:

Author says long COVID gave him ‘sandy skin’ and sharing his symptoms helped him ‘rejoin human race’ COVID passports can get people ‘back to doing things they love’, culture secretary says Jersey govt has ‘constructive meeting’ with French fishermen as Royal Navy ships prepare to leave England’s R number jumps to between 1.2 and 1.4 ‘Mini’ COVID-restricted Queen’s birthday parade takes place at Windsor Castle ‘Worth more to me than any medal’: Tour de France hero Cavendish on inspiring others A ‘national shame’: MPs demand an end to some autistic people being detained for years People who catch COVID and flu at same time this winter ‘twice as likely to die’, Jenny Harries warns Brown crabs mesmerised by underwater power cables for renewable energy sources, study finds Woman, 28, arrested after dog attack near Caerphilly in Wales kills 10-year-old boy Man on trial accused of attempting to murder police officer in Glasgow by driving into him Two storms to hit UK within three days as forecasters warn of 90mph winds and ‘blizzard conditions’