Queen cancels engagements after being told by doctors to rest for further two weeks

The Queen has been advised by her doctors to rest for the next two weeks and only undertake “desk-based duties”.

The announcement by Buckingham Palace comes after the Queen underwent tests in hospital last week and cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

But the 95-year-old head of state has the “firm intention” of leading the nation in honouring the country’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday on November 14, however she won’t attend the Festival of Remembrance the day before.

In a statement, Buckingham 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.”

The Queen has been resting since hospital stay last week

The monarch is said to be in good spirits, and during Friday afternoon recorded her Cop26 speech for the UN climate change conference which opens on Monday in Glasgow.

Earlier this week it was also announced that she would no longer attend the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow.

Already known to be a critic of leaders who “talk but don’t do”, the monarch had been due to host a major reception for world leaders at the conference.

There will be concern for the Queen given her advanced years but medics see the period of rest as a sensible precaution.

The Queen 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, saying about his award “Do you put it in a cupboard?

The Queen has been resting since her hospital stay last week, where she underwent “preliminary investigations” during her first overnight stay at a medical facility in eight years.

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