Queen Elizabeth is pulling out “with regret” of an Easter church service.
The 95-year-old monarch is no longer attending a service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Thursday and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will be the official representation.
It will be the first time that Prince Charles - her 73-year-old son and her heir to the throne - will assume his mother’s role at the Maundy Day church service.
The service will see Charles carry out the tradition of giving out Maundy money to important community figures on the Thursday before Easter.
He and his wife Camilla will meet with the Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO and the Lord High Almoner, the Right Reverend Dr. John Inge at the ceremony. They are expected to pose for photographs after the service.
The Queen - who is marking 70 years on the throne this year with her Platinum Jubilee- has pulled out a number of events in recent times, such as the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last month and the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in November.
However, she was able to attend the memorial service to her late husband Prince Philip - who died in March 2021, aged 99 - at Westminster Abbey with the support of a walking stick.
In February, Queen Elizabeth was forced to cancel a number of virtual engagements after testing positive for Covid-19, despite only experiencing “cold-like symptoms”.