Queen advised by doctors to rest for at least two more weeks and undertake only ‘desk duties’
Monarch has’ firm intention’ of being at Remembrance services on 14 November, Buckingham Palace says
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Your support makes all the difference.The Queen has been advised by her doctors to rest for at least the next two weeks and to undertake only “desk-based duties”, Buckingham Palace has announced.
But the head of state has the “firm intention” of leading the nation in honouring the country’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday on 14 November, the palace said.
The Queen underwent tests in hospital last week, where she spent a night, and then “reluctantly” accepted medical advice to rest, cancelling a planned two-day trip to Northern Ireland.
On Sunday, the 95-year-old missed a church service at Windsor, then on Tuesday cancelled her planned evening reception for world leaders at the UN climate conference in Glasgow.
The monarch is said to be in good spirits, and during Friday afternoon recorded her speech for the Cop26 summit, which will be played to delegates.
A statement from the palace said: “Following on from their recent advice that the Queen should rest for a few days, Her Majesty’s doctors have advised that she should continue to rest for at least the next two weeks.
“The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based duties during this time, including some virtual audiences, but not to undertake any official visits.
“Her Majesty regrets that this means she will be unable to attend the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday, November 13.
“However, it remains the Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on November 14.”
There will be concern for the Queen given her advanced years, but further rest was a “sensible precaution”, a palace source said.
The Queen, who next year celebrates 70 years on the throne, has been known for her robust health.
She appeared cheerful and in good humour when she hosted a virtual presentation ceremony on Thursday, awarding the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2020 to poet David Constantine.
Speaking from Windsor Castle during a video call, she joked with the writer at Buckingham Palace, asking of his award: “Do you put it in a cupboard?”
She was also seen greeting foreign ambassadors via video link.
The Queen spent one night at King Edward VII’s Hospital earlier this month, her first overnight hospital stay in eight years.
During the coronavirus pandemic, she retreated to Windsor Castle for her safety, where she was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh in lockdown.
She was recently seen using a walking stick at a Westminster Abbey service, the first time she has done so at a major event.
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