Queen asks Prince Charles to represent her at Commonwealth Service

The Queen has dropped out of another commitment at the last minute, sparking concerns about her health.

The Queen has dropped out of another commitment at the last minute.

The Queen has asked Prince Charles to represent her at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey next week.

Her Majesty, 95, will continue with other planned engagements, including in-person audiences, in the week ahead, the palace has confirmed.

The service on Monday will be attended by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess Alexandra.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will no longer attend, following his positive test for Covid-19.

It’s understood the Queen regrets that she is unable to attend, but that her absence is not related to illness.

According to The Sun, discussions addressed issues of comfort for the Queen when travelling and attending the service.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales walk together. Picture: Andrew Milligan-WPA Pool/Getty Images

Earlier this month, some of her engagements were cancelled as she continued to suffer with cold-like symptoms from Covid-19.

Her Majesty has recovered well but a cautious approach is remaining in place for the near future.

The Prince of Wales told a wellwisher that his mum was “a lot better” during a visit to Southend-on-Sea, Essex, last week.

Charles has continually been stepping up and taking more royal duties to ease the burden on his mother.

It is not known if she will attend the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh on March 29.

Prince Charles will represent his mother at the ceremony. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Last month, the Queen caught Covid-19, sparking fresh concerns about her health after she spent a night in hospital in October last year.

She was forced to rest on medical grounds and cancelled a series of planned engagements, including hosting world leaders at the UN climate change summit in November.

Her appearances since then have been rare, although she returned to public duties before the start of her record-breaking 70th year as monarch on February 6.

Elizabeth has generally enjoyed robust health over her long life, but fears grew in October after her unscheduled medical visit to a private London hospital.

She had been at the clinic for unspecified tests.

Last year, there were theories that the reason for the Queen’s prolonged absence at events was due to mobility issues.

The Queen has slowed down her engagements. Picture: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Camilla Tominey, writing in The Telegraph, reported that skipping out on official events “lends more weight to the theory that the Queen’s health issues are largely mobility related”.

“It is no secret in royal circles that the Queen has not been as mobile as she used to be, suffering particularly from knee and hip pain,” she wrote.

Likewise, The Times’ Valentine Low has reported, “It is understood that there was concern about the Queen, 95, having to stand on the Foreign Office balcony for up to half an hour, as well as having to endure the car journey from Windsor and back again.”

— with Daniela Elser and The Sun