The Queen has left royal watchers rattled after skipping a Sunday church event following news of a health scare.
British network ITV has reported that the 95-year-old monarch did not attend Sunday service within the All Saints church at the Royal Lodge in Windsor this weekend, in order to rest.
A devout Christian, the Queen often attends public church services but also has access to a private chapel near her apartments in Windsor Castle.
She chose to pray there regularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and may have visited the chapel over the weekend for her Sunday prayers.
The Queen has skipped a Sunday church event amid a health scare.
(Getty)
However, her absence from the service at All Saints has sparked more concern for the Queen’s wellbeing following a shocking health scare last week.
The monarch cancelled a planned trip to Northern Ireland on medical orders, then was admitted to hospital on Wednesday.
Buckingham Palace confirmed she was hospitalised for “preliminary investigations” and stayed overnight for practical reasons.
She then returned to Windsor Castle on Thursday, where she has remained under medical orders to rest and recuperate.
This is the first major health scare for the Queen in almost a decade, as her last overnight hospital stay was eight years ago in 2013.
Now palace aides are said to be rearranging her diary, which has been packed with events and engagements since she returned from her annual summer break in Balmoral.
They’re said to be cutting back on more minor events, while Her Majesty will be accompanied by one of her children or grandchildren to major engagements.
One such event is the Cop26 climate change summit, which is set to kick off in Glasgow, Scotland in just a few days’ time.
Her Majesty was meant to attend the summit with a number of other senior royals, including Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
However, her recent health scare could force her to cut back on her appearances at the summit or miss it altogether.
“She is fine, but she needs the rest — she is saving her energy for Cop [Cop26],” a source told The Times of the monarch’s current condition.
It’s understood that a final decision about her attendance will be made later this week, after the Queen has had more time to rest at home in Windsor.
The Queen is said to be saving her strength to attend the upcoming Cop26 summit.
(Getty)The Queen has continued to undertake public royal duties well into her 90s and showed few signs of slowing down until recently.
Next year will mark 70 years on the throne for Her Majesty, a milestone set to be honoured with huge celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee.
However, the ageing monarch has faced many hardships over the past two years, including the devastating loss of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh was 99 when he died in April and though the Queen is said to be handling his passing well, his loss is sorely felt throughout the royal family.
