Queen will not attend Remembrance Sunday amid ongoing chest infection

By India McTaggart.

The Queen will not be attending Remembrance Sunday events this weekend amid her ongoing illness, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

It comes after Queen Camilla, 77, was diagnosed with a chest infection and cancelled several engagements this week.

A Palace spokesperson said: "Following doctors' guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend's Remembrance events.

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"While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week."

It is understood that the Queen's doctors urged a few more days of rest at home in Wiltshire as a precautionary measure while she recovers from the chest infection.

The rest of the Royal family will be gathering en masse this weekend for the first time since Trooping the Colour to honour military veterans, those who lost their lives in service, and their families.

It was announced yesterday that the Princess of Wales will be joining the family for the national services of Remembrance this weekend as she makes a gradual return to work after chemotherapy.

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She will attend the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night and watch commemorations at the Cenotaph on Sunday.

The Princess will join the King, the Prince of Wales and other senior members of the Royal family for the events.

Her appearance comes after Prince William said on Thursday that his wife's illness meant this had been "probably the hardest year in my life".

Speaking with candour about the toll of 2024, during which the Princess and his father were diagnosed with cancer, he said the year had been "brutal".

He will join the Princess on Saturday evening in another public appearance that will be seen as an important step in her measured return to public life.

She is also expected to host her annual Westminster Abbey carol concert in December, but no other events on the calendar have been confirmed.

Remembrance Sunday events

The weekend of Remembrance begins this evening with the Royal British Legion Festival in London's Royal Albert Hall.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the monarch, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent will attend.

The evening includes storytelling, musical performances and personal testimonies to an audience of Armed Forces families.

On Sunday, the monarch will lead the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph in London, which will mark his first since his diagnosis. The wives of the Royal family customarily watch proceedings from a balcony.

The Queen is hoping to attend the global film premiere of Gladiator II next week provided she has recovered from her seasonal illness.

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The royal diary is filled with the expectation of her recovery, with a daytime reception at Buckingham Palace also scheduled for the King and Queen on Wednesday to celebrate the UK's television and film industry.

The film premiere will be held the evening before the King's 76th birthday, which falls on November 14.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023

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